Dancing Girl
by Mint Tea and Skulls
Summary: Once Lucifer learned the truth behind his family's involvement with Decker, he makes the final decision on their "relationship". Moving forward isn't always easy. Lucky for him, Maze always has his back and new adventures are right around the corner. AU [LuciferxOC] Potential Season 3 Spoilers.
1. Prologue: Moving Forward

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plots of Lucifer.

Prologue: Moving Forward

"So you're saving her?" Linda asked Lucifer.

"Well, yes. My Father took away her ability to choose me of her own will. She will always be... drawn to me. I imagine in case dear old Dad needs to see to my forced return to Hell." Lucifer sighed as he leaned back into the office couch. "It's like He's trying to set me up... It's rather disconcerting the more I think about it."

"Have you considered trying to talk to her about... _it?_ "

"It? Which it Doctor?"

Linda awkwardly shrugged, "All of _it_."

Lucifer's retort fell short as his phone went off. "Well, well, well. The detective calls." And before Linda could say another word, the whirlwind that was Lucifer had left.

Crime in L.A. was always gruesome. Beginning investigations with no leads were rarely of any real interest to him. The complete lack of any real information on the murder had him back in his car while Ella distracted everyone with another colorful rendition of how the murder happened. While Lucifer was convinced that romantic entanglement with the detective would be a horrible idea, he still considered her among the few he could trust. Despite her resistance to his truth. A much better idea, at the moment, was a drink and time spent relaxing in Lux. It had been some time since the king of the castle, so to speak, had graced his hall. If anything fun came up, the detective would call him.

Slowly, with Lucifer's efforts to appear suddenly disinterested and emphasizing _friend_ every chance he had, Chloe moved forward. After a few months, a new transfer to the department worked up the courage to ask her on a date. Even Lucifer could see how disgustingly natural the two were together. Yes, he had intended for her to move on and properly choose someone for herself, but the jealously of it was enough to drive him mad. While he was always ready to help his friend on any of her cases, his time was mostly spent in Lux. Especially since Maze was off people-hunting. Someone had to actually run Lux, and he had yet to find someone to hire to replace her. Honestly at this point he was considering just offering her pay to work at least part time and take care of all the damnable paperwork. Humans and their need to write everything down.

Once Maze had returned to town, their deal was struck and Maze would once again command Lux, when she wasn't enjoying her hunts, for a hefty salary. The minx had become a better negotiator in her time away from him in the human world. After their last drag out fight, he refrained from reminding her that she was supposed to serve him by creation and design. Linda would be proud of him; he could indeed choose his battles.


	2. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Lucifer rolled himself about the bed. It was colder than he expected. The recollection of the "pop" up problem of his wings preventing his usual romping seared through the beginning of his headache. 'Wait? Headache? Oh, that must mean…' Lucifer's thought was cut off as the elevator pinging.

"Lucifer, I've been trying to get in touch with you all morning. We've got a case in the shopping plaza downtown." The footfall of the detective stopped outside his open door. "Come on, Lazy bones, let's go."

A groan greeted her as Lucifer began heaving himself off the bed. The quick shuffled of the detective's feet reminded him that his lack of company had not translated into a sleeping with clothing on. Regardless of her new boy toy, it brought him a small sense of satisfaction to know he still affected her. He chuckled darkly to himself. 'Of course I still affect her. That was the whole point.' The bitter thought let itself free as he quickly showered and donned his Prada suit. The detective waited by the elevator, smiling softly as she fiddled with her phone. A ting of anger hit him. While he was aware of the detective's feelings toward her new found _human_ companion, some piece of him still wished that the parts of her life that were his would stay as such. Including any of their "case" time.

"A quick stop by Lux and we can be on our way, Detective." He called out as he pours a glass and approached her. She nodded along, typing away, as they stepped on the elevator.

In Lux proper, Maze was standing behind the bar smirking. Saturday nights had not been bring in as much money as they once had. Therefore, her newest solution was to hire new girls to dance. One of them had a pretty fancy sounding degree for dance and choreography. As a test of these implied skills, the new girl was leading a squad of dancers through piece of her own design to be performed this Saturday. If everything went well, and the money flowed, Maze offered the eager girl extra pay compared to the rest of the dancers. Assuming they keep bringing in crowds. So far, Maze was at least enjoying the show. New Girl was pretty serious, stopping the music and correcting each miss-step among the other girls.

A familiar ping drew her attention from the practicing dancers to the elevator. Out stepped an annoyed looking Lucifer and distracted Chloe in tow. Although he seemed to immediately perk up at the sight of the practicing squad. "Well, well. What's this little surprise Maze?" He asked, refilling the glass that came downstairs with him.

"Potentially our Saturday night solution." Maze retorted, self-pride oozing from the demoness, as she turned back to watch. New Girl was teaching them the next step sequence. A declaration of "From the top" managed to drag even Chloe from her phone and back into the real world just as Lucifer let out a small "oh" as the girls restarted. Even the sweatpants and tennis shoes for practice could not undermine the combined sensuality.

"While I'm sure supervising strippers is a full time job, we do have a case to get to Lucifer." Maze rolled her eyes at her no fun roommate.

"My apologies, Detective. You seemed distracted enough for me to attempt to actually enjoy my morning." He recanted sweetly. Regardless of his implied desire to stay at Lux, his glass found its way onto the bar top as he cut a path to the front door.

With a sigh and muttering of "TGIF", Chloe smiled at Maze, shook her head, and followed him out. Maze rolled her eyes again, convinced they would stick to the top of her skull one of these damn days. "Lucifer and his weird ass hobbies." She commented to the mostly emptied space as she returned to "supervising strippers".

Dan and Ella were already on scene, discussing details of the case quietly to not be overheard by the flock of paparazzi. Once she and Lucifer crossed the police type and closed in on the group she asked what they had so far.

"Victim is Ashley Mithers, 25. Upcoming B-movie actress, agent says she was supposed to be at a scripting pitch last night. Called in a missing person this morning when she never showed up on set. Few hours later, some poor mid-morning jogger found her." Dan explained as he motioned to the man in jogging shorts talking with a couple uniformed officers.

Lucifer's brows knitted together as he looked over the body, "Ashley? I thought she said her name was Michelle."

"Typical," Dan muttered turning to Lucifer, "Let me guess, she's graced the halls of your penthouse?"

"No, not exactly." Lucifer counter, half-nervous.

"One of those deals again." It was very much a statement and not a question as Chloe crossed her arms. A honest frown working its way across her face.

"I merely introduced her to her agent. I was giving out so many favors at the time, it's not like I had _time_ to seduce all of them."

"How many times is this going to happen?"

Lucifer shrugged defensively, "It's not like I control what other humans do, Detective. I meet numerous humans, that alone makes me more likely to know them when they end up dead."

Chloe nodded along as Ella took her turn. "Looks like injuries from a high fall. The body shows no signs of being moved, but if you look around, not really much in the way of jumping options. I mean, she'd be more… splatty, ya know?" Ella said with a half shrug as she pointed to the nearest building, which was easily 20 stories high. In the heart of downtown L.A., that was a short building. "But based on cooling, I'd put time of death at about 7 hours ago. So 4 am roughly."

"Just before sunrise, huh. Ok, is there any footage from security cameras in this area from that time frame? Why did it take so long for anyone to find her?"

"Tapes are being pulled now," Dan started as he handed Ella something out of her forensics bag, "as for witnesses, the city had this block closed off last night till about eight this morning for some road construction. Our jogger found her after that."

"Any struggle signs?" Chloe asked turning back to Ella.

"Other than what looks like bits of skin under the nails, nothing. Some lab work will tell us if the skin is hers or from an assailant."

Chloe's head bobbled along, a frustrated sigh escaping her. "On to the agent then?" Lucifer prompted, "Or shall I return to Lux and continue my sport?"

"To the agent." Chloe said with a half-heart-ed chuckle as she headed back towards the car.


	3. Ch 2: Parties Don't Attend Themselves

Chapter 2: Parties Don't Attend Themselves

The True Blue Talent main office had only been a short drive. Lucifer felt his annoyance return when the detective's phone chimed again just after they entered the office building's elevator. At their expected floor, he stepped ahead of her. The secretary smiled up at him, lust resting just behind her eyes. "Hello, lovely. Would you let Mr. Tanner know Lucifer Morningstar is here to see him?"

The bronze beauty locked eyes with him, leaning so her breast were squished together, and dialed Mr. Tanner through the interoffice phone, "Mr. Tanner, a very _handsome_ Mr. Morningstar is here to see you. Do you want him sent back or should I … entertain him while you prepare?" A delicate pout graced her face as she responded "Yes, Mr. Tanner."

"Maybe next time, love." Lucifer whispered warmly as she pointed him to the correct hall.

"So we in?" Chloe asked, stuffing her phone back into her pocket and completely oblivious.

It almost wasn't fun to flirt if the detective wasn't going to roll her eyes or scoff. It was rather ruining Lucifer's usual fun. The agent had been only moderately helpful. The information on the scripting pitch company and location, along with a list of anyone with he could think of with a grudge against the victim. Turns out she was rather unpopular. Alibis were plentiful and the company was legitimate. However there was the interesting lead. The staffer at the company said Ashley left with a young man about the same age. With description in hand, the back track to identify the John Doe began.

A few of the frienemies were able to provide a name to a face. John Doe was actually John Carter, Ashley's secret on again off again boyfriend. Who for all intensive purposes, had disappeared since last night. Since the sun had made it mostly past the horizon, and Ella needed time to work her science-y magic, Chloe called it for the night and released Lucifer on the condition that he was already at the office by ten the next morning. She'd rather not have to go fetch him again.

Lux was in full Friday night party mode by the time Lucifer returned to the scene. He slipped through the crowd in front of the building and took the elevator to the penthouse. Now that he was freed from his day job, a proper shower was in order. Changed and refreshed, Lucifer scanned across the room upon his return to the club. It was a sizable crowd, and among them was his favorite three pack of Brittneys. Oh and that looked like a fourth with them! 'Outstanding! It can't hurt to try a little wing control again.'

And a conquest of will power it was. By the end of the night, he felt a little robbed. The four pack of Brittneys were still happily tuckered out. However, in order to prevent his damnable wings from letting loose, he had to curb off his orgasm. It was more like a controlled dam release than a torrent of passion. 'Still better than nothing.' He thought with frustration as he drifted off to sleep.

Lucifer awoke early that he would have liked, but he had made a deal with the detective last night. And he never backed out of deals. In careful movements, he untangled himself from his pillow collection. A quick shower was most certainly in order. A moments glance that the clock assured him that the plan to wake up at a reasonable time had worked.

The detective and Dan crowded around the coffee pot in the station. Cranky, pre-coffee zombie faces turned to greet Lucifer and Ella as they entered the break room. It was simply too much energy not from their own child to deal with before a cup of coffee, if not five. "But the weirdest part? It wasn't even skin!" Ella exclaimed as she reached the height of whatever the story behind the nail material was.

"Well, what was it?" Lucifer prompted, a look of genuine curiosity on his face.

"Some kind of fabric material. I have a classification sequence running, but the machine takes a couple days. I won't know anything for sure till Monday." She finished, stuffing one of the mini-muffins into her mouth.

The detective held up a hand as Ella began again, "Let me have some coffee, and then we'll go over what you've found so far."

As the zombies returned their focus the dripping machine in front of them, Lucifer and Ella made a quiet retreat back to her lab to finish talking. The cranky twins weren't going to ruin their good time. "So, like I was saying, I don't have all the types yet. Turns out the big shots on the higher floors 'don't work weekends.'" She joked mockingly.

Lucifer rolled his eyes, "Oh those fiends. So nothing till Monday? Well. Have the detective call me if they find Carter. Apparently, Maze has a new Saturday night show for Lux. I want to make sure everything is ready."

"Sounds snazzy. Linda going?"

"I have no idea to be honest."

"I'll check myself. I'll let Chloe know, best of luck with the club!" She said cheerfully as her phone appeared in hand.

He had heard stories of the collection of them going to bars together. Maze even sent pictures once. However as he left the station, the idea of the group them being at _his_ club was a little concerning. Didn't they get into a bar fight once? He'd have to inform Maze that any damages to Lux due to their shenanigans would come out of her checks.


	4. Chapter 3: Where the Wild Girls Are

Chapter 3: Where the Wild Girls Are

Tragically, Lucifer never got the chance to give Maze the warning on damages. Once he had returned to Lux, it was a flurry of activity for the new Saturday night show. Tables were being moved, lighting tested, and even his piano wasn't safe from Maze's rearranging. Surely a line must be drawn at a devil's piano. He attempts to complain to were quickly shot down by Maze's firm assertion that they only had a few hours before the afternoon opening and whatever he needed could wait. With a practiced pout, Lucfier retreated to his penthouse. The first round of the new performance wasn't until after 6 pm, no reason to not relax while he waited.

A few hours later, and well into his lovely bottle of scotch, the process of becoming truly Lux ready began. Starting with a most enjoyable shower. While he still armed himself in his Armani suit, the jacket stayed in the closet. Depending how his night went, he may play the piano for the club and it was much more comfortable without a jacket. A final check over of both himself and the clock fed into his endless ego of his perfect timing as he stepped into the elevator with a smile.

Maze couldn't help the gems of pride that swelled in her chest. Lux looked amazing, completely packed, and her whole mortal tribe squad had shown-up [read as "blackmailed into attendance" in the case of Chloe]. All that was missing from a perfect night was the chance to gloat to Lucifer about how much better Lux is with her in charge. Just as she began to fear that Lucifer was going to miss the new performance set, he seemed to appear next to the group.

"Well, it appears everyone came out for the new show." He remarked, as he tipped his glass to the group.

Chloe was notably distracted, grinning like a fool at her phone again. A teasing remark had found its way into his mind, but before he could allow it to cross his tongue the lights dimmed. On the dance lanes of the outer walls, single spot lights gleamed down onto black leather. Each of the girls from practice the day before was uniformed in black leather leotards; tiny spikes and delicate silver chains draped in unique patterns across them. The parade of various sexy boots would have been too much for his poor heart had Lucifer been a mere mortal.

As the song of choice for the nights three scheduled performances began, a sensual sequence of synchronized writhing over took the dancers. As the group converged on what had been assigned as the main dance floor, the one Maze referred to as The New Girl had become discernible from the collective. As the group turned and swooped to the ground at the musical finale, Lucifer's eyes locked onto the red tribal wings apparently tattooed onto New Girl's back. His perpetual interruption of thought continued as Maze playfully pushed him as the club erupted into applause.

"Wow Maze, they are amazing! You set this up?" Linda asked, nodding to Patrick as he handed her another drink.

"Not completely, the New Girl told them how to dance and stuff. But I hired her and let her do it. So kinda yes?" Maze said with that deviate smirk.

"Where did you get those costumes?" Ella asked in wonder as one the dancers came up to the bar for a post-performance drink.

"You'd be amazed what you can buy on the internet short notice..." She responded dryly.

As the group laughed among themselves, Lucifer noted the detective had slipped off. In a corner of Lux, she had met up with her new boy toy. 'Bringing him to _my_ club. The nerve.' Annoyance seeped through his shoulders. With a downing of his glass, he cut through the crowd the circle that had formed around the newest star of Lux.

"My, my, that was quite the performance. Maze was right about you."

Eyes like storms focused on him. For a moment, a fight or flight sense surged through him. As quick as it came, it was gone.

"Thank you," The eyes said, "I take it you're the infamous owner?"

"Lucifer Morningstar, retired devil, and you are?" he returned.

A smirk bloomed before those strange storms. "Natalie Varquez, potentially the new lead choreographer for Lux?" She said, as she leaned toward him suggestively.

"Oh-ho,"A smirk of his own appeared as he shifted his weight to whisper into her ear, " _And is that what you truly desire?_ "

A smooth chuckle greeted him. A trailing finger tip ran down the front of his shirt as she whispered back, "Is there something... _special_... you're asking for?"

Before he could fully process the confusion that struck him, the flirty smirk and stormy eyes had flitted away to the dancer's backroom. While he was certain that was flirting, why on earth did she answer his question with a question? As he headed back to section of bar their little group had over taken, Lucifer turned just in time to watch Maze suplex one of the other patrons into a table.

"Maze! It's only 8 o'clock! At least save the fighting for closer to closing." Lucifer pleaded to the rambunctious demoness.

"It's not what you think," Ella piped up, "He bet her that she couldn't. And well, Maze totally can." She finished with a matter-of-fact tone.

Sure enough, money was exchanging between Maze and the unconscious human's friends. Lucifer walked over and help himself to the money in question. "Payment for the table." He said sternly when she had begun objecting.


	5. Chapter 4: Business Before Pleasure

**A/n: I just wanted to take a moment to say Thank you to all the readers of this story.**

Chapter 4: Business Before Pleasure

It had been months since they had made this much money on a Saturday night. Maze roared with triumphant laughter as she looked over the total sales Sunday morning. Even taking out the cost to replace the table, and a few chairs, Maze's newest find had held up her end of the deal. She couldn't prevent the smirk that grew as she drafted the new contract for New Girl. Oh her new little bird was going to make her so much money.

Lucifer's late morning swim was cut short by the non-stop ringing of his phone. Just as he had finally begun to investigate the needy device, the detective cleared her throat.

"We found Carter. The lieutenant wants us on scene." She said, as she turned bright red and faced away from his mostly naked form. 'Why does this keep happening to me?' She internally pouted. It was hard to remember she was suppose to be moving on when these moments kept happening.

"Of course..." He responded offhandedly, the text from Maze had taken his attention, "Very important police work, text me the address and I'll meet you there."

"I already did, Lucifer. I'll see you there." She said, glad for her rapid chance at escape.

The detective's frantic footfall was completely lost to the dipping wet man. Maze's message glowed on the screen:

" _Record Sat night profits, signing New Girl on. Signing at La Etoile tonight 5pm, under Morningstar. DON'T be late!"_

 _'_ Lead choreographer indeed, Miss. Varquez.' He thought to himself as he returned to his loft and prepared for the suddenly busy day. The faintest smile teased his lips.

The detective seemed almost impatient as Lucifer pulled up to the small strip mall. "Not like you to be so slow when we finally hit a lead." She commented roughly as she turned toward the jewelry store outlet.

"I have to be careful to wash out all of the chlorine, Detective. It does terrible things to my hair." Smirk firmly planted over the smile he hadn't felt need to subdue. He could feel the detective's eyes roll. 'That's more like it.'

Within the outlet, one Mr. Carter stood with a shining strand of diamonds in one hand and a furious finger wagging on the other. "Now you listen here, I bought this damn thing, from this store, for $1600 just two days ago. You can do better than fucking $120."

"I don't think money is your biggest problem right now." A flash of a badge and before the comment had completely left the detective's mouth, Carter had bolted. With a groan, the detective followed.

Lucifer, with no desire for that much physical activity, turned his attention to the attendant behind the counter. "Why would a slouch like that be bothering a handsome gentleman like yourself?" He asked, leaning into the counter.

With a creeping blush and a tiny smile, the young man responded, "Resale isn't always ideal in the second hand market."

"It was lovely, I imagine the _whoever_ that he is returning them over didn't turn down the necklace due to poor quality."

"Oh no, she was lovely," he gushed, "He's the problem. Over-reaching."

"Did the sale paperwork include an address?" Lucifer asked, focusing his full attention to the young man that leaned back toward him.

"I-I... Well, yes... But I shouldn't give out that information... I mean, my job, I-"

"Not for free, no. For what you truly desire," He said warmly into the small space between them, "What _do_ you desire?"

After a brief pause, the young man exploded in whispered sound. "I want a real partner. Not one of those assholes that leaves after a couple dates. A real, loving, life-time, forever kind of partner. Commitment ready."

"Well, well. Invite me to the wedding! I know the best place for finding your future, I'll put you on the list for the Lux and introduce you to some friends." Lucifer said in a bright and cheerful tone, practically leaping at his assumed deal.

"Yea-yeah! Totally! Thank you! My name is Tyler Lorns," a quick spin through the sales Rolodex produced a small information slip. Tyler wrote his name and number on the card and hand it to Lucifer with a large smile, "I'll be there tonight!"

"Excellent, I'll be there a bit later, but once I arrive we will begin!" With a flourish of his hand and a bow, Lucifer stepped out of the outlet just in time for a fuming detective to return. "Ah, Detective! Any luck catching our culprit?"

"Slipped me on an alleyway," She whirled about to face the store, "We should see if they'll give up anything on the guy."

"Let me stop you there, Detective. I have the address right here." His hand with the slip appeared before the detective's face before she could get a charging start on the door.

With a shake of her head and a chuckle, she told the card and punched the address into her phone's GPS map. "Alright, lets go visit Carter."

Lucifer pulled into their destination street behind the detective. Suburbans always creeped him out a little. The same "cute" house over and over again as far as the eye can see in the same four shades of gray. It was like an Earth-bound Hell all of its own. Thank his father the damnable buildings were at least numbered.

The detective motioned him toward a particular drearily looking one. A flickering curtain told them both that they had been spotted. With a quick glance at one another, the partners headed for the back of the house. As though to apologize to the detective for denying her prey earlier, Mr. Carter landed on the alley behind the wood fence in a heap as her feet. Lucifer was proud of the smirk that blazed across her face.

Mr. Carter became aware of his guests with a start, "Shit, look, you can't talk to me without my lawyer right?"

The detective's smirk was impenetrable, "Oh, I'm not going to talk to you. I'm not a hypnotist. Lucifer?"

With a light chuckle, Lucifer stepped forward, "Oh I'm no hypnotist. We've been over that Detective. But I must say I am curious as to why you killed Ashley. Was she going to leave you for an obviously better choice? Was it revenge you desire?"

With each question, he edged closer and Chloe watched at the man's eyes seemed to almost glaze over. Despite the constant denial, she was positive it had to be hypnotism. All that was left was to figure out the technique itself. More out of curiosity than want for the ability itself.

"No, no, no, no," Mr. Carter began to murmur, as his head shock back and forth, "I loved her. He made me. I … They said they would kill me. I had just wanted to make a better life for us... I never thought they'd ask for her." With a final shudder, the man broke down into tears.

A look of curious confusion crossed Lucifer. "You did kill her, but you didn't want to? Then why on Earth would you?"

"I... I got mixed in with some really bad guys..." Tear filled eyes dropped to the ground.

"John Carter, you're under arrest for the murder of Ashley Mithers. I'm going to need you to come with me." Lucifer turned back to the detective and watched as Mr. Carter nodded and held out his hands.

It was a short ride back to the precinct, and the detective deposited their killer in the holding cell for the night. Tomorrow, once they had the rest of the evidence to go with the confession (and a defense attorney to undoubtedly make their lives more difficult), the real work would begin. In the mean time, it was only 4:15 pm.


	6. Ch5: The Benefits of Pleasurable Company

Chapter 5: The Benefits of Pleasurable Company

Lucifer hoped Maze's reservation had been a soft 5 pm, as it was fifteen after by the time his keys were handed over to the restaurant valet. With a nervous hand, he smooth the front of his jacket while refastening the buttons. Maze could be quite vicious when he was running late for business meetings and he would rather not sit through another lecture on the fiscal responsibility of punctuality. As the hostess led him into the main hall, his eyes were drawn to the two women he came here to meet.

Across from a smiling Maze, long dark hair spilled over the satin black dress that seemed practically painted onto Natalie's skin. As he was brought to his seat at the table, the hostess' longing glances were lost to him as twin storms enveloped him once again. The slightest sense of panic crossed his mind, but he held little desire to focus on the sensation.

"Miss. Varquez, Maze, wonderful to see you both."

"Oh well, see, I told you he'd show. Late, but here." Maze commented, hardly acknowledging his greeting.

"Better late than never, I believe the saying goes?" The storms flickered with amusement.

"Quite. Am I too late to order dinner? Rough day at the office and all." He responded with a chuckle as he settled into his chair at the tall, intimate table.

"Don't worry, Lucy, I ordered for you." Maze said from behind her wine glass, his family nick-name grating his nerves. It seemed Maze intended to annoy him as punishment for his late appearance.

"Thank you, Maze. The Perfect Assistant, as usual." He countered calmly. Maze's twitch of irritation nearly ended with a shattered glass.

"Well, now that everyone is here, shall we go over the details of the new contract?" Natalie asked, eyes lit with humor as she watched their exchange.

"Uh, Yeah." Maze said as she cleared her throat. A small stack of papers appeared from the case on the floor beside her. A quick flip through assured her that all the pages were present as she placed it on the table.

Before Lucifer could finish reading the first page, Natalie scooped the pile up and began flipping through. "Looks ok, except for one detail. I need Tuesdays guaranteed off."

"Done." Maze said quickly as she snatched back the contract. A bright red pen made a quick edit and the contract and pen were handed back to Natalie.

With a chuckle for Maze's enthusiasm, Natalie's signature graced the final page of the contract. As she handed it to Lucifer, time paused for just a moment.

"Is that all you desire?" He asked in a low voice as he took the papers to also sign them. As an unspoken emotion flickered across her face, he was sure this time would bear an answer.

"With business out of the way, dinner would be fabulous as well."

Maze snorted with laughter as she added her signature and returned the papers to her case. A wave of a hand altered the staff that they were ready for food. Lucifer's look of irritation was overshadowed by the parade of plates that descended on them.

By the end of their meal, Maze and Natalie had become obvious friends at Lucifer's expense. Even worse, none of his questions ever achieved straight answers from Natalie. As Maze's after dinner story of her latest bounty came to a close, the check made its way to the table. While Lucifer handled signing for the company card, Maze and Natalie shared a parting hug before Maze left to file her newest investment contract.

As the valet returned with Lucifer's convertible, Lucifer turned to Natalie. Since she was watching Maze's car leave, he had the chance to truly see her without losing himself to the odd storm in her eyes. On a more empirical examination, the apparent softness in her face gave way to harder angles. As she turned back to him, he watched as her skin shifted over the light muscles of her neck. In the light of the setting sun, Natalie appeared to be made of molten copper.

"Could I offer you a ride home?" He asked, motioning to the convertible.

Those enveloping storms chuckled for the millionth time, "Thank you, but I'm afraid my ride is already here."

His attention stayed with her as she stepped back and turned to enter a blue sedan. Once the valet closed the door, the sedan – and his newest mystery – sped off. Questions bubbled through his mind as Lucifer began his return to Lux.

Within the pulsing heart of Lux, Lucifer thanked Patrick for the drink and turned to survey the room. As he expected, Mr. "I want commitment" Tyler Lorns had made good on Lucifer's offer. With a grin, Lucifer slammed the rest of his whiskey and made his way to the table Tyler was sitting at.

"Enjoying the party?" He asked as he approached.

Tyler jumped slightly, but smiled in return, "I never thought I'd ever be in a club like this."

"Nonsense," Lucfier boomed, "You are very attractive young man, who knows what he wants. It was only a matter of time till you found your way to me. Now, lets work on those introductions."

With a wide grin, Lucifer led Tyler toward the dance floor.


	7. Chapter 6: The Other Shoe

Chapter 6: The Other Shoe

Lucifer awoke Monday morning already feeling like a champion. Tyler had been a remarkably great human and helping him spark it off with some of the other "commitment ready" patrons had been almost too easy. Once Mr. Carter finished explaining his story, the work week would be a wrap. With a grin, Lucifer made his way to the shower.

As he passed through Lux to go the station, he was once again greeted by a practice group being overseen by Maze. With a sinful smile, Maze sipped from her glass as she watched. Natalie was notably missing from the set.

"Where has their fearless leader vanished to?" He asked as he approached Maze.

"Coffee run. Guess she bribed the others with caffeine to get them to come to practice early."

After a few moments of observing as well, Lucifer carried on to his car. As he prepared to pull away from the curb, a familiar blue sedan pulled into the empty space in front of him. From the curbside door exited his new lead choreographer, a cardboard tray of coffee in hand. With a wave to whomever was driving the car, Natalie hurried into the building.

Lucifer looked over the sedan briefly has they both joined traffic. Other than its plate number, it had no distinguishing features from a showroom floor sampler. As he turned toward the stations, he refocused on the case at hand.

Mr. Carter had already been placed in the interrogation room, while Chloe waited for Lucifer to arrive. As expected, the defense lawyer had shown up before the station had even opened for visitors. The man was determined to give Chloe a headache from reciting various law-jargon nonsense at her. If anyone could get the guy to shut up, it was her partner. Why did Monday always have to be like this?

Lucifer could practically feel the relief pour off the detective as he entered the station and she called him over. He helped himself to some of the free coffee (with a little whiskey, of course. Otherwise this swill was unbearable) before making his way to the door to interrogation.

"Good morning, Detective. Eager to get to the paperwork part I see." He greeted playfully.

"Assuming we get there," she responded with a snort, "the company lawyer is a total technicalities hard-ass. He's trying to get the confession thrown out as being "under duress" ." She finished with air quotes and a roll of her eyes.

"Duress?" Lucifer asked over his cup, clearly offended. "Nonsense, Mr. Carter was not in duress! He was merely expressing what he most desired."

The detective raised her hands to show that she didn't agree with it either and then motioned him towards the room. The two entered and the lawyer in question immediately started speaking.

"Now that you've had time to think about it, I'm sure you see that without the duress-induced confession you have nothing to hold these charges to my client. I demand he be released at once!"

Lucifer couldn't keep the look of shock from his face, "Not even going to introduce yourself? How rude."

The man visibly stiffened. "My apologies, I am pressed for time this morning and forget myself. I am Johnathan Quaits, and I am Mr. Carter's lawyer."

Chloe rolled her eyes as the two shook hands briefly.

"Lucifer Morningstar, I am the detective's consultant."

"Like the club owner?"

"One and the same." Lucifer responded with a smile. "Now, let's discuss this reasonably."

Soon everyone was seated on either side of the steel table. While the detective and Mr. Quaits began round two of their technicalities debate, Lucifer's attention fell to Mr. Carter. John started at the table with a defeated look. The whole scene struck Lucifer as odd. Normally a man with a lawyer as vocal and driven as Mr. Quaits doesn't look like they've already been sentenced.

"Is everything alright?" Lucifer asked as he leaned forward.

Mr. Carter looked up in shock. His mouth hung open a moment before tears over took him. "I-I just want this to be over... I never wanted Ashley to get hurt... I-"

"That's enough, John!" Mr. Quaits said firmly.

"Now, hold on. If the lad has something to say you should let him. He obviously wants to say it." Lucifer countered.

"With all due respect, Mr. Morningstar, my client is distraught and I am acting in his best interest."

"Really? You truly desire what is best for Mr. Carter?" Lucifer asked in a direct manner as his eyes turned to met the lawyer.

"Of course not, I'm just here to protect my company's interest." Mr. Quaits babbled off, an offended look gracing his features. The whole room paused, stares focused on the lawyer. As the realization of what he said settled in, he excused himself in a flurry of activity and practically vanished from the building.

"Well, that was unexpected." Chloe chimed.

"Quite..."

"Um... Can I do my formal confession now?" Mr. Carter asked nervously.

"You don't want another lawyer?" Chloe asked.

Mr. Carter shock his head, "No, I don't need one... I want to face justice for what I did. Ashley is dead because of me, and I loved her more than anything else in this world."

Lucifer and the detective shared a glace before turning their full attention to the man in front of them.

"Whenever your ready." Chloe prompted.

With a shaky nod, the defeated man began his story, "When I first met Ashley, she had just gotten into the scene around town. I kept getting assigned to drive her rental limo and we started talking. I wanted to get serious, but I was just a no-body. Then one day I met this guy. He said he could give me a better job, a better life. A life that could impress Ashley. Make me worthy of her."

There was a momentary pause as he sniffled and wiped his nose against his sleeve.

"I had no idea they were moving on mob turf. Simple driving turned into drug runs, and soon I was in deeper than I thought. Sure I had money, but I was scared. Ashley was going on dates with me, but she knew something was bothering me. When I came clean and told her, she-she didn't even care!"

Full tears had begun to fall as John pushed his face into his hands.

"She said she loved me, that we'd make it work without my new job. All that mattered was breaking times with them. I went to tell them as much. And... And he said that they would let me go, they just wanted one meeting with both of us to make sure we under stood the severance package. They took us on this strange plane with part of the bottom as a glass surface, like a tour plane ya know. And... he told me this is what happens to traitors... and he opened the glass and threw her out."

With a wail, John collapsed against the table top. His shoulders heaved with the force of his crying. Lucifer and the detective quietly stepped out.


	8. Chapter 7: In the Pursuit of Good

Chapter 7: In the Pursuit of Good

Lucifer and the detective took a deep breathe on the other side of the glass. Charlotte had already left to call some of her old contacts for information. Carter's soft weeping could still be heard over the intercom. After a few moments, Lucifer turned the speaker off.

"A new cartel."

Lucifer looked to the detective. She seemed to hardly believe her own words. "I've got to get this to the Lieutenant, tell Beret to get Carter back into holding. Our new priority is keeping him alive to trial."

Left to his task, Lucifer made his way to the main office. "Excuse me, which of you is Beret?"

To his horror, the detective's new boyfriend raised his hand.

"Oh, absolutely not. Where is Daniel?"

With a nervous chuckle, Beret responded, "He's out collecting the tapes for Ella."

"Damn, very well."

Once the detective's will had been done, Lucifer made his way to Ella's Sanctuary of Science-tude. The door gave way to a comical amount of paper spread across the examination table. Ella, armed with a rainbow of highlighters and a white board, had composed a list of the ingredients from the analysis.

"Lucifer!" She exclaimed, rounding about the table to hug him. "I think I know what the cloth is!"

"Excellent, what is it?"

"Custom-blend, no idea what the name is yet. I'm trying to cross reference other known synthetic blends, but it's a process." She explained, motioning to the state of her lab. "But, it is unique enough that the chances of there being two suppliers is pretty low. And that means exclusive and expensive. So I'm starting there."

He could have kissed the faithful little minx. "Of course, up-and-comers need to look the part. Don't bother Miss. Lopez, this level of work is not going to be listed in any of your data bases."

She paused and grinned, "But maybe in your contact list! Bring me samples, and I can match our sample to a supplier."

Lucifer's phone was already dialing as he nodded his way out of the room. He made his way to the outer lobby for the best signal. He was between calls when the detective came up the stairs.

"Ah, Detective. Have you been let in on the plan?"

"You and Ella's crazy idea? Yeah. To be honest other than a few leads from Carter, it's one of the best ideas we have. Once Dan get's the tapes to Ella, we can confirm the story and see if we can get a shot of the plane. Those kinds of licenses are limited and hard to purchase."

With a handful of good ideas, the partners left the station to begin the investigation.

On the other side of L.A., a phone in Natalie's bag chimed in demand on her attention. Granting the girls a break, she flipped the small device open.

"Hello? … I understand, I'll see you tomorrow." She said curtly.

"Someone giving you trouble?" Maze asked, licking her lips as she looked over her lead choreographer.

"Just family matters, nothing I can't handle." With a quick smile, Natalie re-summoned the squad to finish out today's practice.

Maze's frown slowly deepened. She could smell the lie in _family matters_. Her bounty hunting skills smelled something afoot. Maybe the New Girl warranted further investigating. Besides, Lucifer seemed a little _too_ interested in her. And that always leads to trouble.

For the rest of the day, she was a shadow to New Girl. That little blue sedan blends well, but not well enough to best her. Once the vehicle had pulled into an apartment complex, New Girl and some short guy made their way to the house. It was all smiles and laughter as the two made their way inside. Maze rolled her eyes in distaste. Content to wait the night out, the book she was borrowing from Trixie made its way from her bag. Shortly after midnight, New Girl wandered out of the building and down the street. After a couple hours, her prey stopped outside a building she knew to be an information den. A few minutes after the door closed, she paid her fee to enter and followed.

Within the dark club, she eased against the table near the curtained booth. Faint voices carried to her demon ears over the throbbing music.

"A full wipe. I want all of them DEAD!" A harsh voice whispered with force.

"What, bloodlines too? Draconian much." New Girl joked.

"Wha- No, you fucking wack-job. I just want these posers handled. It was funny and cute when they were pulls the feds off our asses, but this is too far. I want their organization destroyed. And before you start that damn bitching, Blank Check for payment. Anything your twisted little heart desires."

"Careful, normally I'd take your whole damn company with an offer like that."

"Phhht, like you want to deal with the bullshit that comes with it. I know you like your money, your weird ass weapons, and your freedom too much."

"Bladed weapons are traditional, not weird. I've explained this to you a million times."

"Whatever works your boat, name your price."

"In the name of good business, I won't over charge."

The sound of scribbling and the slide of paper signaled Maze that it was time to leave. She tipped the bartender well and made her way back to the car to wait for her prey's exit.


	9. Chapter 8: In the Pursuit of Money

Chapter 8: In Pursuit of Money

Once Maze returned to her car, she considered her stake out options. A few quick leaps up the fire escape and a quick window jimmy later, Maze made herself comfortable on the small couch in Natalie's apartment.

Shortly before sunrise, Natalie returned to her home. If she was surprised to see Maze it didn't show. "Well, I didn't think he had it in him to bag my boss, but hey, props to Evan. I take it he explained the rules to you right?"

Maze's thunder soften as confusion set in. "Bag... your... Oh. Oh, no. With the short one? Oh, no way." She laughed dismissively.

"Well, if you're here for me, I'm flattered, but I don't do work flings. Evan should have told you that rather than let you wait for me to get back."

"I'm not here for sex!" Maze half-shouted. "I want to know what you do for the mob."

Natalie's eyes narrowed, "The what now?" She asked passively.

"Oh don't try to be stupid. I heard you at the club a couple hours ago. So what's the story? Sick Aunt? Drug addiction? Sex Worker?"

Natalie's stare flickered to the back bedroom. When the sound of a soft snore assured her that Evan was still sleeping, she hung her jacket and went to the small kitchenette for a cup of coffee.

"I'm an independent contractor."

"A wha-?" Maze asked, a look of annoyance in her steel gaze.

"It's like a bounty hunter, but for anyone I want. Not just the cops."

Maze paused. She had never considered that she could just work for herself completely, taking any case she wanted. The possibilities were exciting. The expectant look from Natalie brought her attention back. In the woman's hand was a small wrapped joint, offered to Maze.

"Fuck yeah, you're not so bad, New Girl." She laughed as she exchanged the small herbal relaxant between them.

Natalie chuckled at the nick-name. "So, you're not going to fire me over this?"

"Nah, as long as you tell me who they want you to 'wipe out'." Maze responded with air quotes.

After a few passes back and forth, Natalie sighed and shock her head. "If I didn't already know your rep as a hunter, but I get the feeling you can handle yourself in a tight spot.

"There's a pack of new guys who think they can move in on actual mob turf. Guns, drugs, smuggling. These guys have gotten into the works. Bunch of trust-funders with too much free time really.

"This time, they pulled a hit on the cops and stole the case detective's kid as a hostage to force their investigation to stop. The feds have already been snooping this region more than normal because of these punks. The old-school locals are ready to feed the idiots to the wolves. The deal with the feds has already been made. I'm just the final axe."

Maze nodded along and then paused. "Wait. The detective on the case? Which case?"

"The actress that got splattered."

 _Trixie!_ Maze thought in a panic. "That kid is my roommate's daughter!" She shouted, standing to leave.

"Relax, I don't hurt kids. The munchkin's safe return is part of the job."

"I'm going with you."

Natalie's eyebrows reached toward her hair line. "This isn't some catch and release deal. This kid is gonna be the only survivor. Are you sure you want in on that?"

Maze licked her lips, "Oh yeah."

Lucifer sighed in frustration as he dialed Maze for the 16th time. He and the detective has just told off the lieutenant, grabbed Daniel and a few others, and taken off in search of the missing Trixie. Yesterday's investigation had gone well enough. Ella had more samples than she could possibly run at once, the tapes were to be processed today, and the detective had invited him to family dinner. Of course that was when they had found out that Trixie was missing, Berret was a double-agent, _and_ Mr. Carter was dead.

The wear of not sleeping all night showed on the detective's face as she paced with her phone in hand. While they waited for the ransom call, Lucifer began to dial Maze one last time. To his delight, she was already calling him back.

"Maze! Wonderful, we have a problem!"

 _"I know, I'm already fixing it. Just keep Chloe away from where ever the hell they tell her to go. I'll get Trixie."_

"But- How did you?"

" _I made a new friend tonight with some crazy information connections. Oh, gotta go."_

As Lucifer tried to edge one last question into the conversation, the call disconnected.

"Well, is she coming?" The detective asked.

"Apparently she's already there." He said quietly.

"What?"

"Oh, uh, Yes, she's going to help. Though I don't know if it will be what you have in mind, Detective."

"Don't play around with me, Lucifer. What's Maze planning?" She asked with a warning tone.

"Really, I don't know. But, she said you should stay away from where ever the kidnappers try to send you."

The detective scoffed and returned to her pacing. Only a few minutes passed before her phone rang.

"Hello?" She said softly. " … Fine."

"I take it we're going anyways?" Lucifer asked as she hung up the phone.

"Damn right we are."


	10. Chapter 9: Bad Girls Club

Chapter 9: Bad Girls Club

Maze followed Natalie to the locked closet in the corner of the apartment. Within it was Natalie's bladed collection. While it lacked anything Hell-forged, it was still an impressive spread. Maze's fingers trailed across the sharpened edge of a great sword in the center of the display. Next to her, Natalie pulled on a leather holster designed to hold a large number of small to medium sized blades. She watched Maze and chuckled after a moment.

"It was forged in the old hills of Europe. Attracts too much attention for today I'm afraid."

"So you _do_ use it. I thought I caught the faint smell of blood on it." Maze responded, turning to watch the New Girl secure the last couple of daggers to her holster.

"It's a favorite for night jobs or any of the random historical events. If you're done molesting my tools; we have work to do and a kid to save." Natalie remarked calmly.

Maze motioned for her to lead the way, looking over one last piece before they left. With one last check on her snoring roommate, Natalie guided Maze out the window and down the fire escape.

"So where is your car?" She asked Maze when they reached the street level.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer drove his car in silence. The detective was next to him, biting part of her nail. He wished he could think of anything to say to reassure her. The meet-up point was normally a couple hours away, but the need to stay on the back roads to avoid the lieutenant's wrath was greatly increasing their travel time. Lucifer's recommendation to hit a drive-through – so she could eat – had been met with a scowl. The silence was punctuated by her occasional attempt to call Maze.

The phone slammed into his dash. "Fuck!" Roared the detective.

"I understand that you're upset, Detective, but please this car is an antique. And I just had the dash waxed."

"I'm sorry. I just- I don't understand her, Lucifer! After everything we've been through together, I thought that she would at least turn her phone on if something happened to Trixie."

"She does care, if that's what you're asking. Maze is a true demon, but you already decided to be her friend despite that."

A soft crackle of laughter escaped the detective, and Lucifer couldn't help the tiny reactive smile that followed.

"Oh, she's not that bad, Lucifer. Just confused, and I think scared to actually let anyone in."

"You could have a point there. Sometimes fear can make people do strange things, to protect the ones you care about." He commented softly.

Chloe paused as she reached for her phone. She tried to think of something, anything to say. Instead, she watched him, looking for a sign of what he wasn't saying. They had been dancing around _them_ for months. Even her new Ex, the kidnapping bastard, had just been another attempt to distract herself from him.

"Chloe?" He began softly.

"Yes?" She whispered.

"Well, I, that is we-" he paused to clear his throat, and gather his courage to tell her this time. "In all honestly the last time we danced this number it almost ended horribly. Just in case, I wanted to... Well, I wanted to tell you that I-"

The ring of her phone cut through his confession. The detective mumble apologies as she swiped to answer it.

"Maze! Where are you?! What's going on?!"

" _Hi to you too. Look, I got Trix, so where are you so I can meet up with you? Apparently, **someone** thinks **I'm** unqualified to help with the job!"_

In the background of the call, distinct yelling could be heard from Maze's someone.

"What do you mean, you have Trixie? Maze, what is going on?!"

" _Look, if the kid wasn't knocked out, I'd put her on to prove it. But yes, I have the kid, now focus! Where am I taking her, Chloe?"_

"I- um, we're," She turned the phone away from her ear for a moment, "Lucifer, where are we exactly?"

Lucifer leaned closer the phone, "Hello Maze, good work! We're on the way to you, using that old back road with the silly looking bridge."

" _The one you made us stop and take that stupid photo at?"_

The detective raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He shifted uncomfortably, but smiled nonetheless. "Yes, thank you for the reminder, _that_ bridge."

" _Alright, I'm on my way, you can call off the Hounds of Chloe."_

"Maze, I …. Thank you, thank you so much."

0-0 0-0 0-0

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't gonna let anything happen to my favorite munchkin." Maze commented into her phone before hanging up. Trixie was bundled up in the back of her car. New Girl was pretty sure the kid was drugged with something to keep her quiet, and would be fine once she woke up.

"Good, now, go." Natalie said firmly.

"How are you going to get back if I leave?" Maze asked with a victorious smirk.

A shrug met her, "I'll be fine, I do this all the time. But you, you make way too much noise with your 'let's break all their bones' routine. This will be so much smoother, if you just take the kid and keep that damn cop out of my way."

"Don't let Lucifer here you say that, he'll fire you, contract or not."

After a moment, Natalie made a shooing motion, "Well? Go, off with you."

"Fine." Maze sighed as she entered her car, "You're no fun."

"It's called **work** and it's not fun."

Maze stuck her tongue out in a final rebellion as she started the car.

"Still coming by for noon daiquiris later?" Natalie called out to the retreating car.

"You know it, bitch! And it better be good rum!" Maze hollered back as she turned out to leave.

With a cold smile, Natalie turned back to the warehouse. Maze just didn't share her idea of fun. Slipping a serrated blade from her holster, she began her stalk back inside. By now, they should have figured out that someone is attacking them. There should be fortifications, heavier arms, and if they found that the room with the child had already been raided – potential fleeing. She would have to make this quick.


	11. Chapter 10: Old Habits

Chapter 10: Old Habits

Chloe sat on the couch of her living room with Trixie tucked into her arms. She had already called and apologized to the lieutenant. Lt. Rio was a parent, so rather than a real punishment, Chloe had been assigned a required vacation after this last year of complete chaos in her life. If she was honest with herself, some time with Trixie would be nice. That sense of comfort was soiled by the thought of the items left by the worthless ex, Beret, that still needed to be tossed out.

"Are you listening?" Trixie asked her mother with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I was thinking too hard, what's up?"

"I said, I want to go to karate classes. If your job is going to keep ending up with me being stolen, I wanna fight back. Like Maze would if someone messed with her!" The child exclaimed, throwing out mock moves.

While Chloe wanted to reject the idea, she couldn't deny that Trixie did have a point. "Ok, I'll talk with Dan about it."

"Yes!"

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie stood in the quiet of her kitchenette. The roommate had sneaked off for his date, it was a couple hours till Maze showed up for drinks, and her shoulders ached. She released a deep sigh, as she picked up the coffee pot. 'Cups are for people that have energy for that nonsense' She thought to herself as she poured the cream and sugar into the pot.

The ringing of her cell phone pulled her attention from the caffeinated glory she had just prepared. She was abrupt with the call. She hated when clients felt the need to check-in after a final report. She thanked them for the payment, and hung up. With a scowl, she downed the pot and began cleaning her knives to be returned to their storage.

As she expected, the task was finished just before noon. Her mood was greatly lightened as she began rummaging through the kitchenette for a blender and her stash of good rum. The sound of arguing from the hallway became a prequel to the knock that should have been from Maze.

" _I'm allowed to have my own friends!"_

" _I know that, I merely want to know who it is."_

" _That is no reason for you to invite yourself along."_

" _Well, how else am I going to find out. You refuse to tell me anything this time. The detective was very distraught."_

Natalie couldn't stop the groan that escaped her. She hated when people knew where she lived. She made a mental note to speak to Maze about privacy as she made her was to the door.

As the door opened, Maze attempted to push through and shut it on Lucifer's face before he could enter. With a quick side step, he entered the threshold before it slammed closed. For a moment, as the sound of wood striking wood resounded through the small apartment, he had the strangest feeling of being trapped and in danger. The thought was quickly dismissed as a pair of familiar storms entered his sight.

"Miss. Varquez. I never thought you would be Maze's new informant friend. Although it does make sense, the two of you do seem to get on quite well." He babbled, stating the first thing that came to mind.

"Yeah... Maze, moment in the hall?"

As the two wondered off, Lucifer helped himself to a look about the rest of the apartment. The only items of interest were a locked closet and a box with his favorite herbal supplement. He helped himself to one of the pre-rolled joints in the box as he listened in on the conversation.

" _What is **he** doing here?"_

" _Look, I tried to get him to fuck off, but I guess he was too wigged out about last night. Not that he did any of the work to save the kid."_

" _No one else, I like my privacy."_

" _Yeah, yeah, you got the rum?"_

The two returned with a chuckle from Natalie. The chuckle paused as she saw the owner of the club she worked in, smoking one of her joints in her living room. As her boss plopped down on the couch next to him and reminded Natalie about the daiquiris, Natalie decided this was the weirdest day in a very long time.

When Natalie returned with a tray of drinks, Lucifer took the moment to look over the rest of her before she could make eye contact with him again. Even without the sunset, she still looked like a molten temptress. She seemed almost ethereal within her own home, even dressed in worn jeans and an over-sized T-shirt. She handed Maze a glass first, followed by Lucifer. There was a momentary contact as his hand grazed hers to take the glass that made time stop for a moment. In that freeze was a sensation to run that he ignored.

"Mmm, that is good rum." Maze commented, taking hearty gulps from the glass.

"So, do you spend all of your Tuesdays drinking daiquiris? An admirable reason for a day off." Lucifer asked, as casual as his curiosity would allow.

"Just information dealing." Natalie countered. Maze snorted a giggle. Natalie didn't really know what Maze had or hadn't told Lucifer, but she could at least follow what he had already given away that he knew.

Lucifer seemed to have misunderstood Maze's snort as he pressed on. "And what did you charge Maze for that information? After-all, I don't care to make contracts under false pretenses."

"Don't worry, the first taste is always free." Natalie retorted as she switched the direction her knees were crossed.

While his attention was drawn to the movement, he didn't let it distract him from the gem of information she had presented to him. 'Tuesday is the day of questions,' He thought with a chuckle of his own, 'She's actually answering my questions this time.'

"I find myself in need of a piece of information, perhaps you can help." He started, leaning into the couch to make himself more comfortable.

Natalie looked at Maze for a moment, but she was busy with her drink and had no interest in helping her new friend avoid Lucifer's questioning this time.

"Well, I've got time to kill, what would the wealthiest club owner in L.A. like to know?"

He tilted his head with a victorious smirk, however before he could ask about her desires, the phone in his suit pocket buzzed. With a upraised finger to show he needed a moment, he checked the caller id and then answered.

"Detective. … Of course, I would be happy to accept the small one's tea invitation. … Now?" He paused to look at the two ladies in his company, both made a shooing motion. "Yes, it seems I've been uninvited from my current party, so I will be happy to join."

Maze waved Lucifer off, and shoved him out the door before he could find an excuse to stay. She wanted to have fun, and Lucifer just wanted to do that weird 20 questions game he played with the humans.


	12. Ch11:The Road Paved with Good Intentions

Chapter 11: The Road Paved with Good Intentions

Maze hadn't been this relaxed on the mortal coil since she got here. The last few weeks had seen Daiquiri Tuesday become a tradition. It was wonderful to have a friend that she could talk human hunting technique with, and even have the occasional sparing. Maze would be heading out soon to track down another bounty, and had invited New Girl, but was declined. She couldn't even find it in her to be mad about it either. Nat was just too much fun. Not to mention generated cash flow for Lux, which helped keep Maze happy. After-all, the longer Lux prospered under her control, the more she could shove into Lucifer's face that he needed her.

Lucifer kept on working with Detective No-Fun, so her upcoming trip would also require an appointed temporary manager while she was away. While she wanted to offer the job to her newest friends, Nat refused to work on Tuesday and brought up her contract to get out of it. So, Maze went down to the Lux lobby to volun-tell Patrick what he would be doing for the next week. Within the halls of the lobby was also Lucifer. Maze barked a laughed, and stalked up to the two.

"Hello, boys. Patrick, I got shit to do; so you're in charge this week. Everyday, here, making me money, got it?" She cracked with a smirk.

Patrick immediately nodded and headed into the bar to begin his now busy work week.

"And you," she started, rounding to face Lucifer, "try to _**not**_ do anything stupid while I'm gone. You have a really bad habit of getting into trouble every time I leave town. And with you hanging out with Chloe all the time, you're mortal. So be careful."

"Yes, ma'am." He responded with a chuckle and a tiny mock salute.

She stared at him, unconvinced. She was going to need a part-time Devil-nanny too. On the way to her packed car, she called the only human she trusted to handle something like this. The phone only rang once before Nat picked up.

" _What's up, Maze? I thought I wasn't suppose to be in until 4 pm today?"_

"Um, look, I need a favor. I wouldn't ask, if it wasn't important."

" _Ok..."_

"I need you to keep an eye on Lucifer while I'm gone. Nothing fancy, just make sure no one tries to kill him, or kidnap him, or trap him in random old buildings, or-"

" _Fuck sake, Maze. You consider just chaining his ass up while you're gone?!"_

"If not for Chloe, I could probably pull that off with a big enough orgy, but his attentions are else where."

" _Ah, grieving ex-syndrome. Even club-owner playboys aren't immune."_

"Yeah, well, I got to get going and shake down some leads before I head out."

" _Right, right, I'll watch your man-baby, don't worry. Happy hunting."_

Maze smiled as she hung up the phone and started toward her favorite dive bar.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer sat in Linda's office for his once-in-a-while-when-I-feel-like-it appointment. Sometimes he just needed a good place to think, and Linda was wonderful for listening to him.

"I just feel like there is something I'm missing with this toy case, Doctor." He paused and drummed his fingers. "Although, I must admit it is a brilliant scheme. All this effort to make empty toy boxes seem full." He laughed. "They could have just made toys."

"And what did you think of how they directed their efforts?" Linda asked with a soft smile.

He pondered that for a moment, observing the new vase on the table. "That they were wasting their time. Much like my time with the detective."

"Why would you say that?"

"I know I said I would let her go, but she just keeps having such terrible luck with men. Part of me almost wonders if she's being set up with me rather than the other way around."

There was a quiet pause that lasted a couple minutes before Lucifer spoke again.

"No. I just still care. Regardless of my Father's interference, I do care for her. It's just so hard to see her sad, Linda." He finished softly.

Linda's smile still graced her features as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's still part of being a friend, and there is nothing wrong about it."

Lucifer looked up at Linda, "So, it's ok that I comfort her. That's wonderful to hear." He stood up abruptly, with a large smile. "I think I will go and see to that comfort right now."

"Uh, Just a moment Luci-... fer." She stammered with a raised hand, as he vanished out of her office door again. Hopefully he wasn't getting into trouble again...

0-0 0-0 0-0

By the time Natalie had finished her shift at the Lux, tracked down any info on anyone who had it out for Lucifer, and tracked down said club-owner; it was sometime between three and four on Monday morning. She rolled the tension out of her shoulders as she watched the odd man for the balcony across from his current sin den. She assumed this was how he spent his time away from his detective. He was so comfortable in a private party, sampling everything offered to him. Although he didn't seem to need to sleep, only half-weird with some of the things being done in that building. She looked down at her watched again, and when she looked up, Lucifer was gone. She stood with a curse, and turned to bump right into the very same man.

She looked up at him in shock, "Uh, Hi."

Lucifer craned his neck as he looked down at her. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a low tone.

"Mainly watching a bunch of strangers have way more fun than me right now." She responded, rattling off the first excuse that came to mind.

He chuckled darkly, and took a step forward. Natalie reflexively step back, bumping into the banister of the small balcony.

"Well, well, I didn't take you for the watching over playing type, Miss Varquez. But please," he murmured as he drew closer, "enjoy the show."

Natalie couldn't deny that she had to close her eyes at that moment. A warmth was certainly seeded into her stomach from the dark promise in his comment. When she gain a part of her control back, she opened them to find him gone again. As she looked back, he had returned to his party. Within minutes, he turned the room into a pile of writhing bodies. She had to give him points for creativity, and lecture herself for underestimating him. She would be more cautious with the rest of the babysitting. ' _Best he think this a strange one time thing.'_ She thought to herself, trying to not overly focus on Lucifer himself.


	13. Chapter 12: Occasional Substitutions

Chapter 12: Occasional Substitutions

Natalie loathed being laughed at; not with, at. She held her phone away from her ear till the sound died down.

"You finished?" She asked sharply.

" _Ha, ha... Woooo... Not gonna lie, never thought you'd ever call in that favor. But this? To babysit a club-owner for one Tuesday? Sorry, but that's funny as hell!"_

"Will you do it or not?!" She half-yelled.

" _Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, I will. I've heard about this guy, how much trouble can he be?"_

"How much, indeed." Natalie said, more to herself than the phone.

She tossed the phone on the bed and flopped down beside it, intent to drift off while she had the chance. By the time her charge had returned to his detective's house, ready to begin the day's work, Nat was sure he had seen her snooping at least two other times in his early morning gallivant. It needled at her as she dozed off with a mental lecture about extra training this week.

The alarm clock blared the local news and noon weather, and Nat responded by gently nudging it off the end table. She sat back up and headed toward the shower, already decided on espresso rather than coffee for her "morning". A sense of dread for her work day crept down her spine on her return to the kitchenette. _'Maybe I'll get lucky,'_ she thought to herself, _'That cop could keep him busy all day. Until I leave Lux... At midnight...'_

"Fuck." She cursed at the cup, dropping her head against the counter beside it.

Her roommate, Evan, looked up from his spot on the couch with a scowl. "Where's my cup?"

Nat briefly considered throwing her own cup at him. However, it still contained part of her espresso. "You're lucky I like caffeine so much." She said instead.

An eye roll greeted her as Evan made his was toward the counter. "Aw, when does the cranky bitch need to be at work?" He asked with the same voice he used on babies.

"Four, cock-munch." She deadpanned.

Evan arched his eyebrow with a smirk, "At least **one** of us gets cock." he responded and stole her cup before returning to the couch.

With a muttering of "I hate you", Nat went to pack her practice bag for the day.

"And you better not have broken my alarm clock again!" Evan called from the couch.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Some how a miracle had been bestowed upon Natalie, as Lucifer returned to Lux and remained in the care of the Brittney Squad for the evening. As her dance shift came to an end, she made her way to Patrick at the bar for her end-of-shift drink. It was just as she was easing into the bar-top, half way through her tumbler, that the suit-clad arm entered her field of view. With a quick toss of her head, she finished the drink and turned to face the troublesome club-owner.

"Mr. Morningstar." She said in an even tone.

"Miss Varquez." He purred in return. "Will you be spending the night party-searching for me again?"

"If only it was that fun." She countered. She assured herself it was the couple of ounces of rum she just finished that caused the warmth in her stomach when he gave a low chuckle.

He leaned in closer to her, and the rest of the club momentarily floated away. Part of her mind screamed at her to stay focused, and she tired to keep it at the center of her attention. When he whispered into her ear, a soft blush rose onto her cheeks. "Miss Varquez, I would be quite interested to learn your definition of _fun_."

It was her turn to chuckle. "Nothing a good boy like you would be interested in. I would hate to compromise part of the LAPD's super-team." She whispered warmly, tipping his glass towards her to sip the amber liquid. With a wink, she reminded him of the date change and left him beside the bar as she flowed through the light crowd to the door.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer pulled himself from the comfort of the sprawled Britney Squad and made his way to the shower. This Tuesday Maze was out of town, which made it the Tuesday he would finally get answers out of Miss. Varquez. With a quick trip through Lux to inform Patrick of the ladies upstairs and to pick out a bottle of his favorite rum, he was off to begin his surprise visit.

As Lucifer prepared to knock, the door opened. A pale young man opened the door, immediately looking Lucifer over like ice cream. "Well, Good morning to me. And what's your name gorgeous?" The man asked.

"Lucifer Morningstar." He responded with a flair of his hand.

"Hot, I'm Evan. I was just heading out for the bar, you're welcome to join me." Evan said, leaning into the frame of the door.

Pulling the flask from his pocket, Lucifer smirked to the flirtatious man. "I take the bar with me. As generous as your offer is, I'm actually here to see Miss. Varquez."

Evan pouted, "Of course you are. Lucky bitch." He stood aside to allow Lucifer entry into the tiny flat. "Nat, you got company. Don't forget about later, though!" He yelled over his shoulder as he continued down the stairs.

Lucifer wandered into the living room, closing the door behind him. He set the bottle on the counter of the kitchenette. The sounds of the shower came from the bedroom, so he began searching for the blender and supply of strawberries. He had poured the mixture into two large glasses and made his way to the couch. A quick check into the cigar box on the coffee table relieved his host of yet another of her lovely joints. The sound of a ringing phone came through as the shower stopped. He could hear _her_ in the other room.

"Hello? … Slow down, the fuck did you just say?!"

She rounded the doorway, towel wrapped and dripping wet. Lucifer's mouth dried, joint hanging loosely on his lip, as his eye's followed a bead of water as it slide down between the swell of her breast and into the shadows of the towel.

"I'll call you back." She said into the phone curtly, before tossing in casually onto the counter. "What are you doing here?" She asked coolly.

Lucifer remember the lit piece in his mouth and set it in her ashtray before it fell onto the couch. "Well, with Maze out of town, I assumed you would need someone else to celebrate your Daiquiri Tuesdays with this week. I even brought the rum, as an extra treat. No Maze to yell at me about Lux's bottom line, after-all."

He watched her eyes flick down to the glasses, and the opened box. A sigh escaped her as she turned to reenter the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind her. Lucifer took the lack of insistence to leave as permission and continued his lounging and waited his chance to begin his questions.

She returned to the living room in a pair of jeans with a band shirt for an obscure group he didn't recognize.

"Gwar?" He questioned.

"A band made of human-hating, drug-loving aliens. Don't worry, I get that question a lot. Either you know or you don't." she commented as she helped herself to the glass set aside for her. "Not bad at all. Although it lacks the kick I put in mine."

"Well, next time Maze leaves, you can make them." He said with a smirk, passing the joint to its proper owner.

"Yeah, next time." She said softly, taking a few drags before passing it back to him.

She still seemed to be giving direct answers on Tuesdays, and Lucifer shifted closer to her on the couch. The haze of smoke between them with the morning sun made the storms in her eyes seem more like soft oceans.

"What is it that you truly desire?" He asked just as softly in return.

Her brow furrowed and she huffed a laugh, "Honestly?" she asked.

"Of course." He murmured.

"A vacation. A very remote vacation." She said with a smile.

For a moment he blinked, "Seriously?"

"Of course!" She said confidently, as she leaned back into the couch. "I work like, four jobs, have a boy-crazy roommate, and more problems than money."

As he began to inquire into the other three jobs, his phone rang in his pocket. With a quick word, he excused himself and stepped into the hallway outside the door. "Detective? … A new case? Now? … No, no problem at all Detective."

He returned to the living room to find what was left of the bottle of rum held out to him. "Duty calls." She commented with the offering.

"Keep it, for next time." He said as he tucked the phone back into his pocket. While he did leave with some answers, he had many more new questions.


	14. Chapter 13: Getting Lucky

Chapter 13: Getting Lucky

A day of chasing down leads had left Lucifer with an empty flask and low patience. A missing persons case wasn't their normal workload, and the urgency to find the politician's missing teenage niece was bring out the detective's own impatience. Their final lead for the night was an underground cover-band battle of the bands concert outside of city limits.

"I still don't understand why we have to go after some rogue girl. I'm sure she'll return home once she grows bored." Lucifer whined as the detective drove them out of the city.

Despite the bobbing of her head in agreement, the detective spent the rest of the drive reminding him of the importance of all cases, not just the ones he found interesting. As they pulled up to the concert lot, the make shift stage had been lined with lights and a banner for the next group was being setup. Lucifer joyfully made his way to the small bar while the detective flashed their assigned photo to a few of the managers. With a drink finally back in hand, Lucifer turned back to watch the cover band enter the stage, and walking out with them (V.I.P. Badge draped around her neck) was their missing girl. As he made his way toward the stage, the lead singer for the band stepped up to the stage and the crowd around him exploded in a roar.

His focus was torn from the girl as the singer announced the piece the group intended to perform. His eyes darted to the source of the familiar voice. Miss Varquez stood in a pair of distinctive TRIPP pants and a decorative dudou, with a bass guitar strung across her back while she spoke to the crowd. Any doubts to her identity were extinguished as the red wings on her back came into view when she turned to plug in her bass. Behind her, the guitarist ( _'Is... Is that Evan from this morning?'_ ) began the melody and the crowd, along with the missing girl, began their cheers again.

As the bass dropped into the melody, Lucifer watched as Evan snuggled up to the lead, sharing the microphone. A few of the young ladies near him cranked up their screeching in response. The boy crazy comment passed through his mind as the detective's hand landed on his arm.

"There she is!" She shouted next to his ear, and then started making her way to the stage. Lucifer opted to watch the unexpected show as the case of the missing girl seemed solved.

At the height of the song, Evan took a pause and stepped back to allow the small stage to Miss Varquez. With the enthusiasm of someone with a true love of music, she hiked her foot onto the top of the her amp and belted out a bass and vocal solo. Lucifer's eyes followed the heave in her chest and the slight shudder that passed through her has she carried on the last note longer than her well-worked lungs were comfortable with. As the song ended, he downed his drink quickly and began to work his way into the roped off V.I.P. Tent.

A few heated words, soft kisses, and one good lick later, Lucifer found himself outside the tent, running a hand down the front of his suit jacket. Within the tent, the sounds of laughter and easy conversation were interrupted by the ring of a phone. Lucifer's hand paused on its way to push open the flap as he recognized it as the ringtone from this morning.

"Hehehe. Hey what's up? … Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Footfall came toward the entrance of the tent, and a gleaming copper hand yanked aside the entry flap. The sight of Evan and the rest of the band passing about a joint with a familiar box left open on the table in the corner greeted him.

"Those will dry out if you leave your cigar box open." Lucifer commented, pointing to the cigar box of goodies.

Natalie hung up the phone in her hand and motioned for he to enter. "What are you doing here?"

"Your V.I.P. was a missing persons case. Apparently she picked a bad day to skip out on daddy's guards."

"So I did see the little cop-girl in the crowd."

They sat down in the circle of folding chairs, ignoring the curious stares of the others in the room.

"I'd rather you not refer to the detective in such a manner."

One of those perfect eyebrows arched, and Lucifer forgot to blink for a moment. Willfully drowning in those storms before he was nudged and handed the rolled joint.

"Sorry, but it's still Tuesday. I don't work for you, I'll call the trouble-maker what I want." Natalie retorted smugly as she took the joint from him. When their hands passed over each other, Lucifer gently held her hand in his.

"Please." He said softly. With a sense of curiosity, he watched a light flush grace her features as she mumbled her agreement.

She withdrew her hand, took a quick drag, and handed the piece off before excusing herself and fleeing out the back of the tent. Evan, and the other two left in the room, looked to Lucifer with chuckles among them.

"Well, fuckin' hell. Hi there, handsome. I'd celebrate my luck seeing you twice in once day, but anyone who can make the she-devil run must be out of my league." Evan commented jokingly.

The other two were quick to join in with comments of "ice-queen" and "slayer of hearts". The group carried on its regalia of the rejections of Natalie Varquez until the detective found him.

"And I kid you not, she made him walk home like that! Underwear and all!"

"Here you are! I convinced her to come home, so wrap up what ever... this... is and let's go."

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie was grateful that Wednesday's were half days for her. Evan had been relentless in his questions about Lucifer. Even more so than normal for the annoying twit. Although the phone call to ask why she bothered with spending her favor for poor service had gone well. To be fair, neither of them thought he would spend the day running into her.

The view from her rooftop lookout was distracting as she waited for Lucifer and his pet detective to finish their cop stuff. Her casual sunset watching almost covered the movement in the alley behind the pair has they returned to Lucifer's vehicle. The delay cost Natalie the valuable seconds the it took for the group of thugs to surround the pair.

With a satisfying thud, Natalie landed on the poor fool closest to her building edge, before rolling to jab the next in the kidney. As a wind of chaos, she swept through the circle, stopping at the last thug standing. The pale man quivered, swallowing hard as he listened to the groans of his friends on the ground around him.

"Another one of your ninja bartenders?" The detective asked.

"Not quite." Lucifer mumbled back.

Before the two had a chance to begin with their questions, Natalie took the last one by the hand and sprinted off. Lucifer and Chloe stared after them, shocked at the comical exit, standing in a circle of semi-conscious thugs.

"Is that Maze's sister or something?"

A soft chuckle drifted through the street.

"Not quite."


	15. Chapter 14: Working Overtime

**A/N:** _Hello everyone._

 _Firstly, I want to thank my readers all around the globe. I can create things all day, but I am only truly an artist if someone interacts with the things I create. So, Thank you all for making me an artist again. Secondly, the views for Dancing Girl are OVER 9000(!). This is very exciting from both a nerd perspective and as a milestone for this story. I am planning a fun Halloween-themed filler chapter for the 19th of October this year to celebrate the view count and the one year anniversary of the story's initial publication. Since I will be releasing a special filler chapter for October, this chapter is double length. Please feel free to message me (or leave a review) with any comments, questions, or suggestions for this exciting occasion._

 _Thanks again,_

 _Mint Tea and Skulls_

Chapter 14: Working Overtime

"STOP! STOP! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"

The cry halted Natalie's hand. Her dull, serrated blade rested gently in her hand as she looked over the bloody mess of a man before her.

"Everything?" She teased, inching the blade closer.

The man tried to retreat into the wall he was bound against and nodded frantically with open tears.

"Good" She said warmly, "Then start at the beginning. Who asked you to jump them and why?"

She plopped down in the nearby chair. The bloodied man stared at her in a momentary horror. She sat with a smile as she used the knife to clean under her nails. It was as though the last twenty-five minutes hadn't even happened.

"Chr-Christenson. He wanted Wonder Detective 'permanently handled'. S-Somethin' about a crusade against The Families since those posers got wiped."

"And Christenson called _you_?"

"Y-Yeah, said the bitch was known to work with an associate of yours. He didn't trust you to get it done."

The babbling continued in the background as Natalie stood and turned away from the whimpering man. _'Of course it would be the damn cop that makes this difficult. I wonder if Maze has a preference to her roommate or boss ending up dead.'_ She thought to herself. A sigh tumbled from her as her shoulders drooped. She already knew what the only real option was.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to save both." She said quietly before turning back to her captive. "Who else did he call? You aren't known for reliability, thus there must be a back-up."

The rambling promptly stopped. Her eyebrow raised at the locked jaw he presented her. "Well, that confirms a back-up. But Justin, what happened to 'everything'? Don't worry, you'll tell me." She responded with a smirk, twirling the knife playfully.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer walked briskly behind the detective as they tried to find where his dancer had vanished to with their would-be attacker. He added another odd trait to his growing list of observations about Miss. Varquez, she could give him the slip. His pace slowed as he waited for the detective to come to the same conclusion so they could look else where, like her loft. Which he wanted to visit for purely business reasons, not to ask silly questions like why she was following him, or what she desired from him. _'Hell, what she desires in bloody general.'_ He thought with a light growl.

"Well, she's gone. Any ideas were your ninja went this time?" The detective asked as they returned to the scene of the attack. The rest of the pack had been handcuffed for pick-up and questioning.

He smiled sweetly, "Well, I do know where she lives, although I doubt she would take a captive there, Detective. However, we are not completely empty-handed."

As one of the group of attackers began to stir, Lucifer squatted next to him to place them on eye-level. "Hello, you and your friends here just tried to attack the detective and myself. A most unfortunate choice for yourself. Now what I would like to know is what is it you truly desire?"

The man shuddered before speaking, "To finish this last job. The reward was big enough I could retire and leave the country."

"A reward from whom?"

"Christenson." The man said before coming out of the daze. A look of panic etched into his face as he stared at the ground.

The detective stared at the man with a slacked jaw. "Christenson? _The_ Christenson wants _me_ dead? Well, now I know I've made it." She commented jokingly to Lucifer.

"I fear Maze's sense of humor is rubbing off on you, Detective." He said with a smirk.

"Either way, we need to get to the precinct with these guys." She said as she waved down the approaching officers she had called to help with the task.

Upon their return to the station, the last attacker had already turned himself in and confessed. The only odd detail was his complete refusal to even admit to being taken from the scene. However, Lucifer would not be deterred. If one party would not explain, he would try the other. He paid no attention to the smile that graced his lips as he returned to his convertible and began to make his way to Miss. Varquez's loft. With a stop in the new drive-through liquor store that was built last week, of course.

Roughly forty minutes later, he stood before the threshold of her door again. Before his hand could come up to meet the wood, the door swung up. A familiar scowl of annoyance greeted him.

"Good evening, Miss. Varquez. May I come in? I have a gift. Something of a thank you." He said, presenting the bottle of rum.

After a couple seconds, she stepped aside. "I do drink things besides rum." She replied as she took the bottle from him.

He entered the kitchenette behind her, and leaned against the counter to be in the corner of her view. "I would be happy to supply _anything_ you desire." He commented softly.

"Hawt." Evan commented from the couch, slurping a cup of tea.

"Don't you have a date?" Natalie asked, glaring at her roommate.

"At least one of us does." He responded before getting up to leave as implicitly demanded. "I keep condoms in the nightstand drawer." He called before closing the front door behind him.

Lucifer chuckled at the door, and turned back to find the bottle open, tipped back, and firmly pressed to Miss. Varquez's lips. His eyes lingered there, watching how the plump ridge pressed against the rim of the bottle. His gaze moved down to watch a drop of escaping rum slip down her chin, along her neck, and into the valley between those soft- "So, to what do I owe this visit? I work in your bar, remember, this could have waited till tomorrow night." She asked curtly, half empty bottle set on the counter beside him.

"Today isn't Tuesday, but I still hoped to have a question answered."

Her eyebrow quirked at his statement.

After a moment, she responded, "If I can ask one in return."

"Agreed." He said quickly, "Are you following me because Maze asked you to?"

"Busted. Maze never said you couldn't find out, I assumed it would be easier if you didn't know."

"And your question?"

"What was with the 'today isn't Tuesday' thing?"

"Tuesday is the only day you have ever answered one of my questions before, Miss. Varquez."

She blinked at him for a moment, before succumbing to a bout of uncontrollable laughter. While Lucifer did not care to be laughed at, he had to admit the sound was too becoming to scold. A soft smile of his own graced his features. When she regained her composer, she picked the bottle up again. Sure feet carried her to the couch as she attempted to finish the second half of the bottle. He followed behind, relaxing on the couch near by and weaseling the cigar box open.

"Must you always smoke my joints? You'll bring booze, even though you've never drank a bottle I own, but my damn pot you just help yourself to with no return?" She asked, pointing the emptied bottle at him.

"Well, I will have to correct that." He commented as he passed the lit joint to her.

Her plans for the evening could be postponed. After all, Lucifer was here, safe, and out of trouble. That was what Maze wanted right? Natalie slumped on to the couch next to him, half defeated, trading the emptied bottle. _'Still not the strangest boss I've ever had, but damn close.'_ She thought to herself.

The silence that settled over them was comfortable and softened by the sounds of street that drifted through the open window. A few minutes after the piece had burned out and was placed in the ashtray, Lucifer broke the silence once again.

"Why did you laugh?"

"More questions? Heh, curious creature aren't you?"

"I would be less so if I knew." He said confidently.

She shook her head with another chuckle. "I laughed because I wasn't aware."

"Unaware of your avoidance of questions?"

"No, I'm just private. I meant, I didn't know I only answered questions one day a week."

"Two days a week now it would appear." He teased gently.

Lucifer was greeted with an eye roll. "As bizarre, and arguably fun, as this has been," She started, "I have other plans tonight. You should go find a party to crash. Although if you're on everyone's 'dream guest list' it's not really crashing."

He countered by sinking farther into her couch with a smirk, "I'm sure any party I go to is going to be rather entertaining. Why not join me?"

There was a slightest tone shift when the invitation was extended. A tone shift that spoke to a part of Natalie. For a moment, her traitorous mind considered the unspoken invitation.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Maze strutted up the walkway to her shared apartment. Her hunt had been _very_ successful, and with a few days to spare as a vacation. No Lux to run, no Lucifer to babysit, and plenty of extra cash. It was going to be a glorious vacation. Her great week came to a halt as the sight of the front door kicked in.

"Trixie!" She shouted as she crossed into the threshold.

A pair of tiny eyes appeared from behind a cupboard door. "Maze!" the child responded as she ran to the demoness.

"Good thinking, what happened?" Maze asked quickly.

"A strange man should up wanting to talk to mom, but then a lady in black showed up. They started fighting, and the strange man chased after the lady, and mom followed after making me hide."

"You're mom's right." Maze said, kneeling in front of Trixie. "You need to go back to hiding till one of us comes back for you. Don't worry, I'll protect your mom for you."

With a nod and a brave face, Trixie returned to her hiding place. Maze turned her attention to the front lawn. After a few moments of listening, she could make out the sound of gun fire in the distance and began sprinting in that direction. Catching up to Chloe was easy. Maze found her running down an alleyway, trying to keep track of two in front of her.

"Chloe, what the hell?!" Maze shouted as they ran down the alley.

"No idea, but one of you and Lucifer's ninjas save my ass, threatened to kill the biggest mobster in town, and is being chased by an assassin intended to me. So you tell me!"

Maze turned her full focus to the figures running ahead of them. The assassin looked like some tall twig with a gun fetish, but ahead of him was none other than Natalie Varquez. Through a flow of motion, the daft fool was managing to dodge the firing of her pursuit. As the next bend came into view, the dead-end of the alley became visible as well. Maze surged forward, as a small piece of panic seized her.

Natalie had an intimate knowledge of the back alleys of L.A. When she rounded the bend, she grinned in triumph. Using the dumpster on the left wall as a spring board, she leaped to the right wall, and rotated back toward the left wall before launching herself again. With a solid thud, she landed on the fire escape platform before vanishing up the railway and over the rooftop.

Before the long-coat wearing fool could follow suit, Maze and Chloe cornered him.


	16. Chapter 15: Early Weekend

Chapter 15: Early Weekend

Chloe had her badge and gun out and ready. "That's far enough. You're under arrest. Put down the weapon."

The man in the coat growled and swiveled to fire on his chasers. Chloe dived to the side, while Maze charged forward. The man started to mutter something about "more than one", when Maze's grip closed on his gun. She flicked it to the other side of the alley and backhanded the human into submission. As she dropped the unconscious body, she headed toward Chloe. "Are you okay?" She called out as she approach.

"Yeah, he missed." Chloe responded as she stood and dusted herself off. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm taking this guy to the station. If your employee kills Christenson, even if he did hire assassins, I'll still have to arrest her."

Maze nodded, and took off after Natalie. When she couldn't find a trail to follow, she followed her gut and made her way to the club she had over-heard the two meeting at. She made quick time to that district of town and as she rounded the block she watched as Natalie chock-slam the bouncer into a car hood. Before the walking rampage could enter the building, Maze sprinted up on her and called out her name.

Natalie stopped and turned to face her with a look of surprise. "Maze? What are you doing here? How was the hunt?"

"Don't be fucking casual with me! Why aren't you watching Lucifer?"

"He's at a party, he's safe, and the only guy in town that has made an attempt on him is about to regret it."

"You can't kill him. Knock him out, turn him over to Chloe."

Natalie scoffed, but nodded before entering the building. The sounds of a scuffle came through the door before she returned with an unconscious human in tow. She tossed him to Maze.

"I'm not answering any of her questions, you can take him. And since you're back, you can babysit that trouble-making lunatic." Natalie said firmly. She turned to walk down an alleyway. Maze let the chance to ask questions of her own slide and made her way to Chloe's station.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Life returned to some resemblance of normality for a few weeks. Fate would choose Linda to bare the force of the next crisis of Lucifer's life. It was only a few hours into her Monday morning of paperwork at the office when Lucifer stormed in.

"She's taking him back!" He stated as though it explained everything. He stood with his hands on the sleek belt around his hips.

Linda smiled and took a deep breath. "Context is a very important part of a conversation, Lucifer."

"Right, right, of course." He said slightly calmer than before. Once he was seated on the couch and Linda had closed the door, he began his tirade.

"This morning, while the Lieutenant was assigning cases, Chloe and Daniel slipped off to have a private conversation while yours truly was distracted by the remarkably low shirt that the Lieutenant was wearing. Apparently Daniel made an appeal to let him take her out to dinner, and she agreed!"

"Well, did you ask her what it meant to her? It could just be dinner to discuss something about Trixie."

"I don't need to ask while she blushes and giggles at his poorly made jokes."

"Lucifer, you can't learn anything without asking." Linda said softly, but firmly.

"Asking... That reminds me! Thank you, Doctor."

Then as quick as he appeared, he was gone. For once, he seemed fairly on point. Perhaps this time Linda wouldn't have to worry.

0-0 0-0 0-0

After a quick stop at his loft, Lucifer made his way to the apartment of Miss. Varquez. When he had knocked, it took a few minutes for the sounds of shuffling to come from behind the door. It open to the woman in question, hair tussled from sleep, clad in a large green t-shirt with a sheep printed on it. She blinked and rubbed her face before realizing who was at her door.

"Mr. Morningstar? What time is it? Am I late for work or something?" She paused and looked at the window behind her. "No, sun's up... What are you doing here?"

He held out a large container with a medical child-proof top. Natalie looked over the container, and reread the label a few times.

"But this is... How did you? I've never actually seen..." She mumbled as she took the container and stepped aside to allow him entry.

"You commented that I smoked all of your pot without ever repaying you. I have a friend with his own medicinal greenhouse. He sends me his new strains. For 'testing' purposes." Lucifer explained with a smile.

She looked up at him after she set the container on the coffee table, "Thank you." she said.

"Although, I do have a question to ask."

Natalie chuckled, and went to the kitchenette to make some coffee. "Are you sure? It's not one of your special days." She joked.

Lucifer stepped into the kitchenette behind her, taking down a mug to place beside hers. "The only way to find if the days have expanded is to experiment." He commented, dropping his tone slightly at the end.

For a moment, with him standing behind her, his hand resting on the counter near her, a sense of warmth filled Natalie. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, she focused on the coffee pot in front of her.

"I can commend a desire to try new things." She responded, a tad warmer than she intended. She knew she shouldn't encourage him, but the tingling sensation that followed his flirtations was rather addictive.

"Are you still taking contracts for gathering information?"

The sudden serious tone threw Natalie for a moment. "What did you have in mind?" She asked, more to stall for time.

"The detective is attending a dinner tonight, and I want to know the discussion topic."

Once again, Lucifer found himself being laughed at by strange woman. He closed his eyes and listened to the rare music. He almost missed her response.

"I'm not helping you spy on your ex-girlfriend."

"My what?" He responded in confusion as his eyes snapped open.

"Well, I assume ex-girlfriend, I never asked. Maze and I don't talk about her Johnny Law friends. And you obsess like an ex. So..." Natalie explained, filling the cups on the counter.

"I am not obsessed with the detective." He said as he took his mug and moved to the couch.

"Okay, then why do you want to know about her dinner date?" She retorted, joining him on the couch with her own mug.

"I... Well..."

"Then the answer is still no."

"I'm a curious creature, and her making foolish mistakes is a subject of great curiosity for me."

"What makes it foolish?"

"He's not good enough for her."

"Who?"

"Her ex-husband."

Natalie gave him that knowing little smirk. "Well, that explains everything. Very no."

"Fine, then I will go myself." He responded firmly, turning to reach toward the door.

Natalie scoffed a laugh and said, "Stalker much."

Lucifer froze in place, turning back to face her with an angry glare. She only raised an eyebrow at him in defiance. When he spoke, his voice was low and full of warning. "And what was it called, Miss Varquez, when you followed the detective and myself for a week?"

"Doing Maze a favor and watching a man-baby and his ex-girlfriend for her, Mr. Morningstar." She responded light as air, still smirking. She brought the cup up to her lips and slurped the coffee loudly.

With a growl, Lucifer whipped back around and stormed out of the apartment. He returned to Lux, frustrated and determined to jump-start a morning party to forget his troubles.


	17. Halloween Dance-Off

The Halloween Dance-off

Halloween was easily Maze's favorite time of the year in the mortal realm. Not only could she walk around without hiding her true form, many of the attractive humans dressed up as well. Lux was a thriving party, despite Halloween being on a Wednesday this year. Some party animals couldn't be stopped. Such as Lucifer, who was enjoying the company of a "werecat" and a "vampire". Her tribe squad was comfortable against the bar and well supplied in drinks. As she made her way over to the group, a commotion on the other end of the bar drew her attention.

"Look kid," Patrick started, visibly angry, "I don't know how you got in here, but not on my watch. Take your fake I.D. and go."

The pale young man he spoke to tried to argue his previous attendance, but Maze had heard enough.

"You heard him, kiddo." She commented as she bounced the kid into the street.

"You'll regret this! All of you!" He shouted. Maze gave a dismissing wave as she returned into the club.

At the bar, Maze made herself comfortable with a drink as she and the others turned to watch Nat's one night Halloween performance at the stroke of midnight. Her money-maker had even found a cute Japanese pop song about Halloween, just for the occasion. Maze had to admit that Nat's "Sally" costume made much more sense after _A Nightmare Before Christmas_ was shown to her. At the end of the performance, the lights re-dimmed. Nat looked to Maze confused.

A strange, deep voice filled the room.

"A Boogie-Woogie Night indeed!

For Dancing is my noble steed!

A pox of three I bring with me!

To start, boogie-bugs will set them free!"

The air filled with lighting bugs. However, when they lit up, the bugs displayed a rainbow of neon colors rather than a soft yellow. Maze watched as many of the humans were lured into a dance. Even Ella and Linda were happily dancing along. It was Chloe's look of panicked confusion that told Maze the effects weren't completely willing. Nat made her way to Maze, fighting the urge to dance – and occasionally failing before regaining control.

"What the bloody hell?" Lucifer asked.

"Fuck if I know, but something is wrong." Nat retorted hotly, pulling herself out of another dance sequence.

"Lucifer! Help us!" Chloe shouted, as she danced with Ella and Linda.

With a run of his hand through his hair, he shouted back "Yes, yes, working on it, Detective."

"Well, at least Chloe and Nat aren't completely under whatever effect this is." Maze commented cheerfully. "In truth, it's kinda cool. Mass human control. Imagine what I could do with that..."

"The bugs." Natalie muttered before the trance over-took her and she danced her way to the crowded dance-floor.

"Whelp, spoke too soon."

"Maze, if we could focus please?" Lucifer asked calmly.

"Yeah, yeah, the bugs." Maze responded dryly. She made her way to the fire extinguisher on the wall. "Wanna see a cool trick?" She asked before pulling out the safety pin and aiming the nozzle toward the nearest crowd of neon Boogie-bugs. She squeezed the handle and laughed with maniacal glee. She was shocked to see the strange bugs unaffected once the chemical fog cleared.

"Very impressive, any other ideas?"

"It works on other bugs!" Maze yelled defensively.

The voice boomed again:

"My boogie-bugs just can't be stopped!

But if I were you, I'd start to hop!

I brought along some friends, my dude!

To really help me set the mood!"

The fog created by the fire extinguisher spread across the floor. Through the fog, and through marble floors, the decaying hands of zombies clawed their rotting bodies onto the dance floor. Lucifer scoffed that the high collared shirts and massive bell-bottom pants. The neon boogie-bugs shined off the sequins sewn into the out-dated clothing. The zombies paired up with various members of the dance-floor, turning the crowd into a 70s disco. Even the music system had been over taken!

While Lucifer watched in shocked horror, Maze could not contain her laughter. With a sharp glare, Lucifer made his way to the floor. His attempted display of physical force left the first zombie he walked up to unaffected. Lucifer did find that the longer he spent near the zombies the greater the draw to dance along became.

He made is way back to Maze. She was swaying back and forth with a large smile and a chuckle. "This is ridiculous!" He shouted. "This is my club! What kind of fool interferes with the Devil's party? On Halloween no less!"

Before Maze could grace him with another sarcastic answer, the floor rumbled as a zombie twice the size of the others entered the scene with a twirl leading into a hip thrust. A top of its decaying head was a wig of large, slicked back hair. After rising from a split, the large zombie spun to face Lucifer and Maze.

"Try as you might, you can't fight this song!

Now be a good boy and hum along!

The time of my appearance draws near!

The Lord of Liches, King Funk, is here!

Oh, and who is this little dancing dove?

Oh Yes! Become my queen, my love!"

King Funk stretched out a skeletal hand and from the crowd Natalie moon-walked close enough to grasp the hand with a dramatic flare. The faint _click_ sounded from beside Lucifer. He looked away to see that Maze had removed her cell phone from her pocket, and was recording the scene. He could only assume from her deep chuckling that it was a plan for future blackmail. "Focus? Humans to save, Maze." He said, trying to be patient.

"Uh-huh. Few more seconds; this is gold. Do you know what Nat will do to keep this out of her roommate's hands?" Maze counter with a knowing smirk.

Lucifer swallowed and smoothed the front of his dress shirt out. "Fine, I'll handle this myself."

With a flip of his wrist, he unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves one at a time. Confidence engulfed him like a familiar friend. The last time he had visited Earth was during the era of Disco. He even won a dancing contest. Fools never learn to avoid challenging the Devil to contests of the arts. ' _This over zealous decoration will be no different._ ' He thought as he neared the dancing pair.

"If we're going to have a Disco showdown, then we're doing it right." Pulling a stereo remote from his pocket, he changed the song on a hunch. As he had suspected, he could still control the stereo as long as he stayed in the era of music. "You have challenged the Devil to a dancing contest in my own club. I accept and I choose Barry White."

King Funk swung Natalie out of a dip and spun her off to the side of the forming circle of viewers. The large zombie let out a crackling laugh,

"It doesn't matter who you pick.

My dancing always does the trick.

Don't you know? It's my club now, clown,

And I'll prove it to you in this showdown!"

The strange creature made its way to center of the circle, and began its opening bid. Lucifer had to admit that the zombie was good, but limited by its era. With a smirk, he entered the circle and pushed back King Funk using a fusion of disco with modern influences. After a couple songs, the zombie took a knee before Lucifer.

"Such grace and moves, I can't compare.

So I will go with all my fanfare.

I leave to you the title of King of the Disconomicon,

and the hand of my lovely queen, my man."

While the bugs and smaller zombies retreated into the fog-covered floor, Natalie danced her way to Lucifer. As her leg wrapped around his hips and her arms draped around his neck, Lucifer gave into the temptation to dip her. While he enjoyed this moment of closeness, Funk retreated into the floor with the other zombies. Once the room was cleared, the music returned to normal, the humans in the room dancing and none the wiser that something had happened.

Natalie blinked, as she looked around for the neon bugs, only to find herself in the middle of the dance-floor with the owner of the club. "Mr. Morningstar?" She whispered cautiously.

Her tone clued Lucifer in to her confusion. He righted them, and then responded to her, "Are you feeling alright, Miss. Varquez?"

"Where did the bugs go?"

"Ah. Gone now, everything seems normal. I think only a few of in attendance will have some memory of what happened."

"Thank you, I suppose."

Lucifer smiled, and they danced a little longer before returning to the bar side with the rest of their collection of associates. Maze was glued to her phone, trying to keep her maniacal chuckling to a minimum. This was grade A blackmail. For Nat, for Lucifer, Maze was going to be rich. "Well, richer." She muttered to herself. "The Disconomicon, huh? I need to find that." She save the recording, closed the phone, and started her search with a particular teen who had swore revenge.

 **A/n: Happy Halloween! Remember to be safe and sane, and have a spook-tacular time. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this Holiday special. If it is well received, I may expand to do other random holidays that I am fond of. If there is a holiday someone would like to see done, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message with the name of said holiday.**

 **Stay tuned for the next normal chapter update – coming November.**

 **Thanks and lots of love,**

 **Mint Tea and Skulls**


	18. Chapter 16: It's a Technicality, Really

Chapter 16: It's a Technicality, Really.

In his determination to distract himself from the implication he was obsessed with the detective, Lucifer spent the entire day chasing skirts, shorts, and shots. By the time the sun had set, his jacket had been entrusted to Patrick. He had spent enough time distracting himself from the women that haunt his mind, that he forgot one of them still worked in his club. Miss. Varquez looked unimpressed by the larger numbers for Monday night. She only smiled at him and winked on her way to the back room.

Instantly his Brittney squad lost part of its interest in him as the first show of two for the evening began. With a growl, Lucifer made his way to the bar for another drink. He stared at the shelving behind the bar. When a soft hand touch his shoulder, before sliding across his back to the other side in time to the music, he smirked. He rounded to tease Miss. Varquez about being forward when dancing at work, but had a tinge of disappointment when it was one of the other dancers.

Each from the squad had found a group or table for a more intimate display of dancing. A quick sweep of the room placed the target of his ire with a group of businessmen. One of the suits leaned on the table to say something to her over the music. A grimace came to Lucifer's lips as she smiled and laughed back. Without a glance at the dancer flirting with him, he downed the rest of the glass of scotch and paced across the floor.

In the low light, the playful currents in those stormy eyes captured him again. Part of his annoyance drowned in those storm as he muttered, "A word?"

"Of course, Mr. Morningstar." Natalie responded in the same light tone she had used earlier during their disagreement.

The two moved to the corner of the club near the door to the backroom. Lucifer stood close to her to be able to talk without competing with the music. One small part of his mind took note of the fact that this was the closest he had ever been to her, making his blood warm. Another told him to leave, run, and never come near her again. Again, he brushed both sensations aside as he focused again on those encompassing storms.

"I wanted to apologize for this morning," He started, "I shouldn't ask you to spy on the detective for me. That's more Maze's job anyway." He rambled off.

The space between them shrunk as she leaned closer to respond. "I get it, worrying about your ex is part of the process of getting over them. You'll be fine in the long run."

His eyes narrowed and his annoyance returned in full. "The detective is not, and has never been, my 'girlfriend'. I am attempting to apologize." He said harshly.

"And I said I get it. My bad about the ex comment, but you didn't deny it earlier, in my defense."

Tired of her needling him, Lucifer decided to turn the tables on the woman who was vexing him. "Miss. Varquez, is there a particular reason for your interest in my 'getting over' an ex?" He asked, in the same gruff tone he had just lectured her with.

The playfulness of the storm gave way to something darker and harder to read. "Just your stability. The boss of my boss is still **my** boss. So, as long as you don't run the business into the ground for some reason..."

Lucifer gave a low chuckle into the scant space between them. "Oh, I'm not your employer. Maze is very clear about my complete lack of authority over you. You're _hers_ , as she puts it."

Natalie bit her lip as she debated out the technicality of what he said. The twisting bundle of nerves in her stomach screamed out at her. Before she could over-think the consequences of what she was about to do, she smirked and reached up a hand. She playfully fiddled with the unbuttoned collar of his shirt.

"Well, that saves me some ethical trouble." She started, eyes darting down to his lips for a moment. "I have a personal rule concerning employer-employee behavior."

Lucifer smirked and darted his tongue across said lips. He nearly chuckled again when Miss. Varquez's eyes followed the brief movement before returning to his. "Most understandable given Maze's usual behaviors and the amount of time she spends at your home." He said to prompt her to keep talking.

"Yeah, adorable pain in the ass. Not the point, off track." She momentarily rambled. Her eyes rose to meet his again. "Kiss me?" She asked barely above a whisper.

Lucifer felt his own breathing pause for a second. He wished he could call down his brother Amenadiel, just to stop that moment in time so he could enjoy it a little longer. Instead, he committed her face to memory. Her copper cheeks were flush, as desire and hesitation wound together through the storming world in her eyes. His hands came up to her face under their own power, summoned by the desperation in her question.

The part of his mind that said to run came screaming to the surface the moment his palm brushed against her skin. Unwilling to be deterred at this point, he mentally shoved the feeling aside again as he pressed his lips against hers. In that moment, the rest of Lux faded as he focused on the soft pliant forms pressed against his. It had been barely a couple seconds before she recovered from the internal shock that he was actually kissing her, and she was returning his attentions. Lucifer couldn't stop the chuckle that came when she nibbled on his lower lip to encourage him to deep the kiss.

Removing his hands from her face, he carefully unwound her hands from his shirt. They were both short of breath. A lazy heat continued to sit between them as Lucifer stepped around her. He leaned down over her shoulder to whisper into her ear, "I believe you said 'the first taste is always free'. I look forward to your second performance later."


	19. Chapter 17: Rule 1 - Don't Panic

Chapter 17: Rule #1 – Don't Panic

It only took Natalie a couple of hours to regret her actions. She spent the rest of the night trying to not look back at the man watching her. After the second performance was finished, she bee-lined the back door and left the club with a coat wrapped around the dance-wear she hadn't bothered to change out of. While she waited for Evan to collect her, she mentally lectured herself.

 _'On a technicality... You seriously asked the **owner of the club** to kiss you?!'_ Her palm came up to smack against her forehead. ' _Maze is going to fire me. And it'll be back to random gigs till some sucker is willing to contract me again. Damn it, and this paid so well.'_

As she chewed her lip and continued her internal tirade, a soft honk alerted her to Evan's arrival. She hurried into the blue car. She told Evan what happened, which was her second mistake of the night as he spent the rest of the evening harassing her about more details. He continued his questioning once they had returned home.

"Does he wear flavored lip-gloss? He strikes me as the kind of guy that likes to leave an impression." Evan asked, passing Natalie's last prepared joint back to her. "Did you touch his hair? Is it as soft as it looks? Oh! I bet he has edible body paint. The expensive kind that has flavor to it."

"I'm done talking about this with you."

"Maybe he doesn't need it. Maybe he's just tasty." Evan said in a dreamy voice. "Oh come on, you _have_ to tell me. Oooor you can set me up with him, so I can find out for myself."

Natalie glared as Evan waggled his eyebrows up and down are her. Rather than respond and encourage him, she muttered about going to bed and made her way to the bedroom. Maybe the bed would swallow her up and world will have ended while she was sleeping.

Sleep came rather easy and the morning much sooner than Natalie would have liked. She awoke to an empty, light-filled flat with a note from Evan:

 _Hey,_

 _Devin called last night,_

 _went to get me some._

 _Love the only one in the house getting laid,_

 _Evan_

 _p.s. Don't forget to set up my date with your cute boss. xoxo_

With a scoff and roll of her eyes, the note was dropped back on the counter as her attentions turned to her trusty coffee pot. Once again, she opted to forgo a cup and began creating her coffee pot for direct computation. Armed with caffeine, she retreated to the couch. The shelf under her coffee table held her box of rolling supplies. She set it, and the container her latest mistake had brought her, on the table. Her thumb grazed the label as she let her mind wonder to last night.

"Scotch, cigarettes, and everything naughty." She mumbled with a giggle. "These were the special ingredients for a giant pain in my ass."

Giggles gave way to small sigh. Her eyes closed as she leaned into the couch. If she ran her tongue along her lips and focused hard, she swore she could still taste part of him. She was still lost on that train of thought when a familiar knock came to her door. She opened it to Maze with a knowing smirk.

"So, you and Lucifer huh?" Maze asked as she breezed into the room.

Natalie set her expression to a blank slate as she made her way to the kitchenette. "I take it Patrick told you."

"Oh please, don't blame him. Apparently everyone saw the two of you in the corner. Lux is a buzz with rumors." Maze countered. From her perch on the couch, she spied the jar on the coffee table. She snatched it up, the shock on her face lost to the woman preparing their drinks.

Said container being slammed into the counter top, pulled Natalie's attention from the running blender. "What the hell, Maze!?" She asked once the blender had stopped.

"Lucifer making out with rando humans is normal, but handing out the good shit that even _I_ don't get access to? The fuck's up, Nat?"

"I... I didn't know" Natalie said, confused. "I told him off for smoking all my bud, and he just showed up with it."

Maze's stare bore into Natalie. After a moment she shrugged and returned to the couch. "Meh, you can't be a force influence than Chloe." She said (as though that explained anything).

"I don't see how cop-girl could be a bad influence on anything besides a box of donuts, but whatever." Natalie responded as she brought their drinks to the coffee table. "So, you're not going to fire me?"

"For what?" Maze asked.

"Making out with the club owner on shift?"

"Ha! If I did that, I'd have no one to work the damn club. Besides, if you act like this being teased about it, I can't **wait** to see how this plays out." Maze retorted with a chuckle.

Natalie scoffed a laugh, and set into her task of turning the jar of dense buds into plump joints to refill her cigar box. The easy conversation through the early afternoon assured her that Maze was perfectly unbothered by last nights events. Lucky for Natalie, Maze moved on from last night to teasing her about drinking straight from the coffee pot.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer paced in front of his private bar. He couldn't decide how to spend his evening. The thoughts in his mind were clouded by recounts of the strange kiss from the night before. As he had finally decided to spend the night lounging about Lux, his phone buzzed on the counter. With a check of the caller id, he smirked as he answered.

"Why Detective, this is a rather late call. Normally, late calls to me involve 'house' visits."

" _Ha. Ha. Very funny Lucifer. There's been a murder at a private beach. Ella is sending out a text with directions because it's buried in suburbia."_

"Oh, the beach. What a lovely idea." He could hear the detective scoff before hanging up. Shortly after his phone buzzed again, Ella's directions received. A sense of satisfaction followed him out the door and down to the garage.


	20. Chapter 18: Rule 2 - Exit Strategy

_A/N: Hello everyone! I hope the beginnings of winter, or summer depending on location, is going well for you all. We've reach another milestone; 100+ followers of Dancing Girl. You know what that means: Holiday Specials! February will still get a standard story chapter, but will also have a special chapter posted on the 14th of February. Yep, that means Valentine's Day themed. Muhahahaha! Unless there is a different February holiday that would be of interest..._

 _A special thank you to each and every one of my readers, and a wonderful New Year (when ever yours is celebrated)!_

 _~Mint Tea and Skulls_

Chapter 18: Rule #2 – Exit Strategy

It had been a week since Lucifer had been in Lux. The unusual nature of the ongoing case kept the detective and himself near constantly on the move. They only seemed to take breaks when Maze called on occasion to brag about profits, or to stop for food and a nap for the detective. There were just too many humans to question and leads to tie up. While tempted to visit Miss. Varquez's flat, the lack of time forced him to instead take comfort in seeing the blue car that shuffled the choreographer. When fortune favored him enough to be passing in front of Lux, when Evan dropped her off or picked her up, while he was with the detective on the way to another lead, that was.

The beach side killing had only been the first of nine. Each time, the body showed no signs of a struggle or being harm. Autopsy relieved nothing out of the normal either. No heart failure, or illness, each had been in prime health for their given ages and family histories. The station was working hard to keep it from the press to prevent a panic. Ella was working on a full set of obscure poison assays to try to find any trace amounts in any of the victims. In the mean time Lucifer had finally been released from duty after having sworn multiple times not to tell anyone about the case.

"I swear, I won't breathe a word of it to any living human." He said smugly before strolling out.

He had enough patience to wait to get out of the parking lot before calling Maze. It rang a few times before it was answered, Lucifer could immediately hear the tones of laughter in the background. He held his breathe to listen to the sound before Maze began talking.

" _What is it Lucifer? You know it's Daiquiri time, which means 'No Lucifer Allowed' time."_

"Yes, yes, I know. However, this is rather important."

" _Thirty seconds, go."_

"The case I'm on has been going on all week, and someone **needs** to be punished. However, they're using some strange poison to kill with no trace. Are you familiar with any such poisons?"

" _That was longer than thirty seconds."_ She grumbled, _"But, nothing that Ella couldn't test for. Why call me?"_

"Miss. Lopez has done the initial testing and has moved on to more advanced tests. The results thus far are not promising. She suspects something truly strange and exotic."

A heavy sigh came from the line. _"Fine. Come over and describe the dead people to our little informant and we'll see what she knows."_

"Ah yes, the actual needed favor. I can't ask. I promised to not tell a single living human about this. Thus, I need you to act as a go between for me."

" _For fuck's safe, Lucifer."_

0-0 0-0 0-0

Maze finally agreed to whatever nonsense Lucifer was up to, and Natalie snickered and listened to the given descriptions. As the conversation continued and Natalie asked probing questions, her smile became less genuine.

"He, and all his cop buddies, as _**sure**_ there were no marks at all?"

"Nat asks are you sure about the no marks?" Maze muttered into the phone, painfully bored at this point.

" _Yes, Miss Lopez said it was described as though they had lost the will to live mid-step."_

"He says yes, they just rando dropped dead."

Natalie looked out the window for a moment. "I need to see the first of these corpses."

Maze tapped the red end call button, and looked at Natalie surprised. "What, seriously?"

"Yep, only way to know. Second hand information only goes so far. I can sneak in tonight."

"Sounds fun, I'm in."

Natalie sighed, "Not this again."

"Nope, you need me this time." Maze said confidently.

"For what?"

"I know the station, including where the dead bodies are."

Natalie didn't respond, but rolled her eyes as her head bobbed in agreement. The two proceeded to spend the rest of the day preparing for their sneak attack on the morgue. In truth it was rather simple because Maze had a spare key. She only smirked when Natalie asked if cop-girl knew about the key. After the sunset, and a quick errand by Maze, the two set-out from Natalie's apartment in Maze's car.

They stopped a few blocks down and approached the backdoor on foot. They slipped through and Maze lead the way through the labyrinth-like building. Once they made their way to the morgue, Natalie breezed through the paperwork to find the slab she was looking for. With a muttering of the number to Maze, they rolled out the first of the victims. Natalie looked over the corpse without touching it and a frown set into her face.

"We need to leave. Now." She said firmly, as she walked toward the door.

"The hell Nat?" Maze asked.

As Natalie turned to argue with Maze, a clock in the room chimed the hour. Natalie stopped to look, Maze's attention followed, to see it was midnight. As she turned her attention back to Natalie, a hand gripped Maze's arm. She gaze darted down. The corpse on the table had open eyes, radiating a soft glowing green light. Before she was finished examining the strange sight, the slab slid back into the locker, the grip on Maze's arm gone. Natalie quickly re-locked the door, and pulled Maze by the arm out of the room.

"The actual fuck Nat?!" Maze nearly yelled.

"Shut up, we're still in the station." Natalie whispered back harshly.

"No, the hell are those? You obviously know something, now spill."

"If it will shut you up, fine. Yes, I do. They're thrall-like creatures bound to something called a 'Pale One'. Now can we leave?" Natalie whispered while tugging on Maze's arm.

Maze had begun to go with Natalie, until she watched Ella come around the corner. A set of test tubes in one hand and a clipboard in the other as she made her way toward the morgue. Maze froze and pulled out of Natalie's grasp to sprint back to the room after the scientist. Ella gave a scream and dropped the clipboard and tubes as the locker door was forced open and the corpse crawled out.

Maze stepped in front of Ella, one of her hell-forged blades already in hand.

"Maze! I don't know how your here, but thank God!" Ella gushed.

"Don't talk, run!" Maze countered, with a push to the woman behind her.

"Right!" Ella cried as she took off the way she had came. Before the door closed, Natalie had reentered the room.

Maze threw the blade into the corpse with enough force to knock it backward. It stilled for a moment before twitching. It didn't seem dead, again, but it did appear unable to move a the moment.

"That won't hold forever, we need to go." Natalie insisted again.

"Then how do we kill it?" Maze asked, ignoring Natalie's repeated request.

"By killing the 'Pale One'. Which is not here. I'm going after it. You can try to fight that if you want, but I'm leaving."

Maze turned to face Natalie, only to find the room limited to her and the twitching corpse. She scoffed and locked the door as she left to find Ella.


	21. Chapter 19: Chasing Shadows

Chapter 19: Chasing Shadows

Lucifer stared at the phone in his hand in shock. "She actually hung up on me." He said aloud. With a scoff, he changed lanes to take the road to tend to a few errands of his own. Such as a saucy judge's wife that was in need of consoling. With the assumption that Maze would eventually call him back, he flicked on the radio dial and refocused his thoughts.

A couple hours sex turned into an afternoon of booze and debauchery before Lucifer strolled back to his convertible. A glance at his phone told him that there was still no word from Maze. He loosed an exaggerated sigh and made his way to Lux. Somewhere along the way, working Tuesday night so that Maze could get into trouble had become normal.

It was a little after ten in the evening, on his way up to the penthouse with the Brittney Squad, that his phone rang. With a smile, he stepped away to answer Maze's call. "Finally."

" _Did I leave my spare key ring at Lux?"_

"What? I don't know, did you find out anything from your lovely little informant?"

" _Ugh. Don't get me started. Just check around behind the bar. I know you're still at Lux. I can hear the playlist Nat set up running in the background."_

As Lucifer approached the bar, Patrick waved him down. In Patrick's other hand, were Maze's keys (strange bird key chain and all).

"Yes, they're here. You have to tell me something, Maze."

" _Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a bit to pick them up."_

Once again, his phone clicked off. An annoyance that neared anger washed through him. He took the keys from Patrick with a thank you and exited Lux. It only took Maze ten minutes to come from where ever the two had been. She stepped out of her car and held out a hand for the keys.

"Something, Maze?"

It was Maze's turn to sigh and roll her eyes. She marched around the car and snatched the keys from his grip. "We're breaking into the morgue so that Nat can get a better look. She has thoughts but won't share them till she knows more. Believe me, I tried all afternoon."

"You're going to _what_?"

With a second eye roll, Maze reentered the car and was gone. Lucifer ran his hand over his face a couple times, muttering under his breath about the sudden lack of control over his minion. Before he could further ponder the obviously horrible influence Miss. Varquez was on Maze, one of the Brittneys had found him and tugged him down into another kiss. He supposed whatever shenanigans the two were getting up to could wait till he fulfilled his promise to the lovely women in his current company.

Another couple hours of acrobatics, and Lucifer briefly re-showered before hopping into the convertible again. Just as he was picking up his phone to call Maze, the demoness in question rang him.

"Hello Maze, how did your foray into the cooler go?" He answered with as much sarcasm as he could manage.

" _Something just tried to attack Ella, Nat bailed after a 'pale one'- what ever the shit that is-, and I can't keep this dead thing dead!"_ She shouted back at him.

He could hear gunfire and people yelling in the background. Before he could respond, his phone notified him of a second incoming call.

"One moment Maze."

She protests were cut off as Lucifer switched lines.

"Detective?" He answered.

" _There's been an attack on the station. I don't know all the details, but I'm on my way there and I can't get a hold of Maze, can you watch Trixie for me till Dan gets there?"_

For a moment, Lucifer's mind raced. He chewed his lip for a second while he choose his next words.

"Maze is at the station, she's trying to hold off the attacker. I'll watch Trixie," He had already made a high speed U-turn into the lane that would take him to the detective's house, "Be careful, it's giving Maze a hard time, so it must be very dangerous."

" _I will be. Thank you, Lucifer."_ She tone carried an emotion that Lucifer could quite identify.

He switched back over, pleasantly surprised that Maze was still there.

"The detective is on her way. She has asked me to stay with Trixie until Daniel gets there."

" _URG, What ever. Fine. Look, Nat said something about this thing only stopping when the pale thing is dead. I'm pretty sure she took off after it. Once you're off munchkin duty, **find** her. I'll keep this thing busy."_

"I will." He assured before ending the call.

It was a short drive back to the detective's house at the speeds he was traveling at. As he pulled into the driveway, Trixie open the door to greet him.

"Hi, Lucifer. Dad just called, he said he'd be here in twenty minutes. Wanna see what I learned this week at aikido?" She ranted in one big breath.

"I would love to." He responded with a smile.

The child dragged him into the living-room. He had to admit that she was studious in her newest hobby. The ferocity in her mock attacks reminded him of Maze. He suspected the demoness was giving lessons on the side.

True to his word, Daniel appeared in twenty minutes. Thanked and hugged, Lucifer bid Trixie a good night and returned to his car. He had told Maze he would find Miss. Varquez, so he made his way toward her apartment on a hunch.

He was roughly halfway there when he heard an otherworldly screech. With a jerk of the wheel, the convertible cut into the exit ramp, barely slowing down. Lucifer drifted to a stop, the immediate area was completely devoid of humans. As he looked around to observe the strange phenomena, he caught a glimpse of a long, sickly pale limb. Once he blinked to try to focus on it, the vision faded. The eerie silence was lifted by the sound of heavy rainfall. Lucifer pressed the button to bring the car top back up as he exited the vehicle.

His attention was drawn up the street again as Miss. Varquez walked with the storm front across the boulevard. Dressed in loose jeans, simple boots, and a jacket, his eyes fell on the great-sword that rested against her shoulder. A strange energy radiated from the sword . The sensation made his skin crawl the longer he looked at the blade.


	22. Chocolate Dreams

Chocolate Dreams

"Absolutely not."

"Please?"

"No."

"Come on."

"Not happening."

"Be reasonable!"

"Nope."

Natalie pulled Evan away from the custom chocolates store by the collar of his shirt.

"But I'm getting some made for Devin. You should get some for your hottie boss."

With a deep sigh, Natalie pushed away the temptation to smack Evan with her sandal to make her point about this discussion being over.

"What if I had already ordered them for you?" Evan asked with a smirk.

That forced the impatient woman to stop in her tracks. Slowly, she turned back to face him, reconsidering her previous shoe-based decision.

"And why would you do something that stupid?" She deadpanned.

"Because you wouldn't do it yourself, and I think a little romance would be good for you."

"Evan, a man with enough free time to volunteer for the cops is not going to be woo'ed by chocolates."

A finger was thrust into her face as Evan shouted "AH-AH! So it's not a matter of romance, but the tool!"

Natalie held her glare even, but Evan refused to back down from his smug smile.

0-0 0-0 0-0

To her horror, the chocolates arrived the morning of the 14th of February. Evan took his box and left for his day of fun with Devin. Left with the keys to the car and the brightly colored box, Natalie debated her options.

She could just throw the box out. Be done with the whole nonsense. Even better, she could just eat the sweets herself. Evan would never know. A smirk spread across her face as she popped open the small flaps.

Her adventure stopped short when she saw the note Evan had the store place inside. A chuckle surprised Natalie as she re-closed the box. She laughed at the arguable perfection of it all. Maybe she could go along with Evan's foolish idea this once. Her course decided, Natalie left behind the keys as she made her way toward the subway station to catch the 11:00 am to downtown.

It was a couple stops before the one for Lux when Natalie noticed she was being followed. The tail didn't seem familiar, so she got off a stop early. The empty lot near the station gave her follower a false sense of control and the sound of a gun cocking echoed through the small clearing.

"Natalie Varquez, I presume. I'm a collector for a mutual friend. It appears your last payment was light."

Natalie turned, bright box still in hand, to face the tall man who had aimed an antique handgun in her direction. She scoffed at the weapon. While lovely to look at, she knew the accuracy to be terrible.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are referring to." She said calmly.

"Agent Tanners. The provider of your papers that give you the grace to stay within our great nation." The man elaborated with a flourish of his hands.

 _'Great. Another blackmailing wacko.'_ She thought as she carefully set the small package on the ground. "Oh, I paid Tanners. The same amount as always."

"Afraid the cost of business has increased. You can either pay, or find somewhere else to hide."

Natalie gave a warm smile as she moved closer. "And did Tanners tell you _who_ I am?"

"It matters not to me. I am servant of the people."

"That is really too bad. Well, I have a message for Tanners about that payment. Could you pass it on for me?"

"Only if it is the payment, my dear." He said, the gun once again lifted to aim toward her.

The warm smile turned into a knowing smirk as Natalie said "Oh, it is."

Her left hand darted out to seize the gun, and a turn of her wrist flicked the antique across the pavement. As her right fist closed in on his nose, she took a moment of pleasure in the look of confusion the man sported. A quick combo left him with a broken arm, and slammed against the wall with a look of terror.

"Now listen up. If Tanners wants to renegotiate our deal, he can drag his spoiled ass out here and talk to me himself. But I don't play pawn games. As a matter of fact, I think I'm owned an apology for this whole mishap. You and Tanners are going to find out everything you know about Lucifer Morningstar and report it to me."

The man, nodded, muttering "What are you?"

Natalie returned to her warm smile, dropped the now broken man on the ground and replied, "You and Tanners should ask his boss that. I don't remember what the official answer is anymore."

She turned and picked up the brightly colored box. Before leaving the clearing completely she paused again, "And tell Tanners not to worry, I won't tell about this and next month's money will be sent the same as always."

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer had made himself comfortable at the piano a little before noon. Maze and Miss. Varquez had convinced him to play for Valentine's Day as a special to bring in extra income. It was his own desire to have the stage back from the dance squad the really drove him to agree.

Seeing the piano in the center of the club again was a wonderful feeling, and Lucifer let the emotion surge through him as he began the opening for the song that had been stuck in his head for a few hours.

He jumped slightly when a voice behind him sang the opening lyrics.

" _I never knew I could feel like this..._

 _Like I've never seen the sky before."_

Miss. Varquez walked around the side of the piano, emotion building in her words as he strengthen the piano melody.

Lucifer let his hand settle on the ending chord for the opening chorus. His attention was torn between the discovery the Miss. Varquez could sing – quite well in fact – and the brightly colored box that rested in her grip.

"If you want to sing while I play tonight, I would not object." He suggested softly.

A low chuckle came from the woman before him. "I'm afraid singing is quite a bit extra." She finished her circle around the piano and came to a stop next to him.

"A gift?" He asked as his eyes dropped to the brightly colored box.

"Something like that. Evan insisted that I give these to you."

Lucifer lifted his hand to cup the outstretched hand. With his other hand, he removed the small box and placed in on top of the piano. A gentle tug brought her onto the bench with him, her hand nested in his gentle grasp.

"If not for the night, then finish this song with me?" He requested softly.

Natalie knew she should say no. However, a strange curiosity caused her to take her other hand and continue the melody for the next verse. Her voice followed a couple measures later.

" _Come what may, Come what may..._

 _I will love you, until my dying day."_

Lucifer couldn't help a chuckle before he picked up the duet, a couple octaves lower than it was normally performed. His fingers danced along the keys.

" _Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place,_

 _Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace._

 _Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste._

 _And it all revolves around you."_

Both of them were smiling, as their voices came together, sharing the keyboard between them.

" _And there's no mountain too high, No river too wide,_

 _Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side._

 _Storm cloud may gather and stars may collide."_

Before they could finish the final crescendo, Maze came stomping into the room.

"Nat! You are like ten hours early, what are you doing here? And are you ready to go yet Lucifer? We're waiting for the go ahead to open and let the first couples in." Maze half shouted as she pushed Patrick toward his place at the bar.

With the moment quite ruined, Miss. Varquez made a quick escape for the door before she was roped into a very long night. Lucifer glared at Maze as the warm hand in his slipped away. With a brisk flick of his collar, he waved Maze back toward the door expectantly. He stayed on that bench, playing and singing, till the last of the night staff was sweeping the floor. Only then did he let himself look to the small, brightly colored box that sat upon his piano.

A quick flick of the tab displayed a small selection of decadent chocolates with a simple note in beautiful script.

" _Pa' Chaos"_

 **A/n: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Don't forget the chocolates go on sale tomorrow!**

 **A big thank you to all of my readers, and I will be back on the 1st of March with the next chapter of _Dancing Girl_. **

**Love and Peace,**

 **Mint Tea and Skulls**


	23. Chapter 20: Part-time Slayer

Chapter 20: Part-Time Slayer

Natalie walked tall in the rain. She didn't even feel the droplets that pelted against her skin. All of her focus was on the abomination before her. It was with a familiar morbid fascination that she watch the thing feed on the soul of its latest victim.

The tumbling mass of ghastly pale skin shuddered in pleasure as its five arms pinned the human in place. In the place of the soul it devoured, some of its own energy poured back into the now empty vessel. In a week's time, it would rise as a thrall. If left unchecked, one lunar year would turn a thrall into a new Pale One.

As the rain blanketed this section of the city, Lucifer began to see a strange creature in the rain. Within a couple minutes, the monster was revealed to him. He took a step back as he watched the thing rip apart and devour the human's soul.

Without a word, Natalie lifted the great-sword. Her left hand gripped the handle close to the blade, the right rested lightly on the pommel. Using the freshly slicked ground beneath her, she spun on her heel, and flung the blade into the writhing back of the strange creature. Once it was impaled to the wall, it loosed another scream.

While Lucifer watched in frozen shock, Natalie rushed forward. The Pale One used three of its arms to push off the wall, its body still pieced by the blade. With a leap, Natalie slammed her boot into the pommel, forcing the blade back into the wall and re-pinning it.

"Yeah, bet your collective mind remembers that, doesn't it." The sneer in her voice carried clearly through the rain. "This sword hurts. But a deal is a deal. This is my region, and I told you that any branches you try to start here will be slaughtered."

She paused to withdraw the blade, allowing the creature to slump down before turning to face its attacker. The mass that was its head had no features other than a single flaming eye that shined with the same fire that the body in the morgue had. Her assumptions confirmed, she dropped into a defensive stance.

" _I will devour your soul, return to Hell, and take back that which is **MINE**!" _Without a mouth, its thoughts seemed to echo through the streets.

Lucifer dropped to his knees and clasped his hands over his ears. It wasn't quite as loud as hearing his Father, but it held a similar mass.

" _Struggle! Struggle for thousands of years, for an era! I care not!"_ It screeched before it launched at Natalie.

The Pale One's five arms moved through its body as though there were no joints to hold them in place. Like an injured spider, it bumbled forward, crossing the space in the span of a breath. Natalie met its initial attack with a downward swing that severed one the limbs off. She carried her momentum, and circled the blade back around to slice through the center mass of the monster. Her follow up attack came up short as it jumped back and out of the way.

Natalie smirked as she shifted her weight and positioned the blade into an overhead guard. Sure, Pale Ones were dangerous, but she couldn't deny the thrill of it either. Adrenaline pounded in her ears as her focus narrowed completely on the creature before her. Its pale body twitched, giving away the beginning of the next assault. With only four limbs left, it reeled back on two, and lashed out two attacks. Natalie dodged the first, deflected the second, and twirled back into the center to cleave down the main mass of the beast.

The split eye flickered a moment, before it gave out a hiss of rage and faded. Natalie watched with heaving breathes as the creature dissolved away. She rested the tip of the great-sword against the road and leaned onto the cross guard. As the adrenaline faded, and reality set back in, Natalie tilted back her head to let the rain wash away her thoughts of what could have been had an attack failed, or a dodge come up short.

The rain began to ease and it was in the following silence that she heard the labored breathing of someone else. Her eyes snapped open and she turned in a flush of panic.

Lucifer leaned against his car door, hands held to his head, and tried to see through the headache the voice had caused. The sounds of combat had stopped, and he was unsure of what had happened, the confusion only added to his pounding head.

He almost jumped when a hand softly touch his shoulder, "What are you doing here?" he heard her ask.

His headache was suddenly magnified as a stronger than usual sense of alarm shot through him. He gasped out before slumping to the ground.

Natalie stared down in shock. He had reacted as though he had heard the voice of the Pale One's consciousness. She brushed away the questions from her mind. Instead, she hauled the soaked club owner into the passenger seat of his car. With a quick check over the vehicle, she began a careful drive to Lux.

Of course before Natalie went to Lux, she made a small detour at her apartment. As she put the great-sword away, she considered keeping Mr. Morningstar here. However the thought of dealing with Evan after the fact quickly shot down that idea. With a call to Maze, that went to voicemail, and an update left, Natalie returned to the car to finish the trip to Lux.

Natalie was capable of driving, however her skill was laughable. Her nerves were frazzled by the time she pulled into Lux's parking lot. With use of her work key, Natalie made her way in the back door, and into the elevator to the penthouse with the unconscious owner in tow. After setting him on the couch, she tracked down a stack of fluffy towels in the bathroom. The next step gave her pause.

Then, with a determined nod, she undid the button of the suit jacket and removed it. Unfortunately the shirt underneath was soaked as well. So with a wild blush, Natalie carefully unbuttoned and removed the dress shirt. She tried very hard to not focus on the planes of tone muscle. With the first towel, she leaned him slightly forward, so that he rested against her shoulder, and began drying his hair and back.

It was with her hands buried in his hair through the towel that Lucifer woke up. Since her arms were mostly wrapped around him to dry his hair, he lifted his own and wrapped them around her soaking waist.

Natalie paused, feeling the head on her shoulder turn to nuzzle into her neck. She swallowed hard, as she continued drying his hair. A low grumble of pleasure came from the partially dried man as he slowly tightened his arms and pulled her into his lap.

"Mr. Morningstar, do you remember anything from this evening, before you passed out?" She asked softly, to remind herself that he was just attacked.

Lucifer frowned at the unpleasant memory that threatened to return his headache in its wake. He breathed deep to focus himself, basking in the scent of her rain-kissed skin.

He eventually grumbled out an answer, "I remember that you wield a great-sword remarkably well for an informant."

A frown set into his face when she stiffened in his arms. His intent was only to playfully tease. He followed her hands when they dropped the towel and lifted his face for her to see him.

"Did you see what I was fighting?" She asked a little louder, her face set in a carefully neutral mask.

"I assume it was the _Pale One_ Maze says you told her of." When her expression shifted to shock, he continued talking, "A strange, soul-sucking creature that can be seen in the rain. Of which, how did you make it rain?"


	24. Chapter 21: After-Party

Chapter 21: After-party

Before Natalie could begin to process what she had heard, the elevator dinged. A frantic Maze seemingly appeared next to them. Her firm hand hauled back the club-owner against the couch so she could properly inspect him for wounds.

"Good to see you too Maze, I'm fine. Mostly untouched, unfortunately for me." Lucifer informed the demoness, giving Miss. Varquez a heated look.

With the return of Maze, Natalie pushed the towel into Maze's hand and then retreated out the elevator. Hopefully without her presence to reminded him, the creature's natural effect to be forgotten by humans should prevent any mental trauma from his witnessing of the attack. Of course there was the matter of him seeing the creature at all. With a mind full of questions, and the cover of dark, Natalie returned to her apartment.

Evan sat on the couch, with the sword cleaning and maintenance kit spread on the coffee table. The great-sword was lain across his lap as he gently brushed a cloth pad over the length of the blade. When Natalie walked through the door, he was quick to carefully set it aside and rushed to hug her.

"You should have called me." He said with a thick voice. The tears that glinted in his eyes brought down a hammer of guilt.

"I didn't find out till tonight. It had already been a week. Now that no one in the underground trusts me, I didn't find out until it was almost too late. Besides, I didn't want to interrupt your date with Devin." She responded gently, stroking his hair in an attempt to comfort him. "It was just one Pale One, a stupid one at that."

A rough giggle came from the young man as he released her and returned to tending the sword. "Needs to be resharpened soon." He muttered.

"Gah, I hate traveling to Europe to get it sharpened. International security is a nightmare these days." She retorted with a smirk.

His soft laughter assured her that he had calmed from his worries. Natalie flopped into the arm chair and fell asleep watching Evan's repetitive motions.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer looked after the elevator in confusion, interrupted when Maze threw the towel at him.

"If you're fine, then dry off and explain." She said with her arms crossed.

He took the towel and began to strip off his remaining clothing. The whole suit would need to be dry cleaned. "Well you first. What happened at the station?"

"Dead body wouldn't stay dead, then just dropped again. Like Nat said it would. Only a couple little scruffs on some of the other humans, here and there. I'll check later with Nat about if it's anything to worry about." She said curtly.

He narrowed his eyes and retorted in kind, "Miss. Varquez defeated the monster."

He was greeted by a huff as Maze turned to go to the bar for a drink. "Ok, ok. What do you want to know?"

Lucifer was quiet for a minute before he began asking questions.

"Is... Is everyone alright? The detective, Miss. Lopez, Daniel?"

"All fine. Completely untouched. As am I."

"How are they reporting it?"

"Don't know. The station was so relieved when the thing stop moving, they just stuffed it in the morgue again and everyone went home for the night."

He nodded again. "Alright, your turn then."

"What was Nat fighting?" Maze asked without hesitation.

"It was a strange creature with limbs like a crab, and near translucent skin. When I first saw it, it seemingly vanished, but the rain made it easily visible. It spoke with an ethereal voice, Maze."

Maze gave him a look that spoke to her little belief in the last statement.

"Oh, I would never joke about this, Mazikeen."

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie poured over her contract, trying to find out the rules on "calling in sick" for this damnable position. Exhaustion kept her in the arm chair, even after Evan had gone to bed, re-awoken, and gone to something or another. She didn't have the energy to hear, yet alone listen.

It wasn't until there was a pounding on her door that she considered getting up. Instead she attempted to ignore it; in hopes that who ever it was would grow bored and leave. When Maze's voice carried through the door, Natalie sighed and finally forced herself from the chair.

"Maaaaaaze." She drawled as she leaned on the now open door frame. "Great timing, I need to call in today. Sammie can lead practice and the performance tonight."

"Yeah sure, call and make it happen." Maze commented as she pushed into the apartment. "So your Pale One. Some giant albino crab, huh?"

Natalie deeply frowned with a sigh. Mr. Morningstar must have told her before he had the chance to forget.

"It's best to let him forget, and not ask about it. You should forget about it too." Natalie said as she flopped into the chair again. A few swipes of her phone completed taking care of volun-telling Sammie of the day's change.

Maze's annoyed voice cut in to Natalie's thoughts, "Why does no one at the station remember what happened last night?"

"The only reason you remember is probably because you keep talking about it and haven't slept. You should do that."

"What about you? Why do you remember?"

Natalie only sighed. "Doesn't matter. Go home, and get some sleep Maze. _ **I**_ need to sleep." She said softly.

Maze didn't response, but did leave Natalie to her napping. When Evan returned home, he forced the stubborn woman to finally retire to the bed.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer's pacing came to a stop once Maze returned. "Well?" He asked expectantly.

"Nothing, she just keeps saying we need to forget about it." Maze replied.

He leaned both hands onto the bar top before him. Something about this left a rolling in his stomach, something to do what that feeling he kept ignoring about the strange woman.

"She knows something, Maze." He whispered.

Maze scoffed a laugh, "Yeah, yeah she does."

"And we need to know what it is." He finished with a dark tone.

"Yeah, yeah we do. Ya know, I think this is the first time we've agreed on something in a while." She said with a smirk.


	25. Chapter 22: Trouble Comes in Threes

Chapter 22: Trouble Comes in Threes

The next day, Natalie called in the entire dance squad extra early. Bribes of coffee, tea, bagels, and cigarettes convinced them that Natalie's newest choreography set was worth the early mornings and extra hours. She was in the middle of teaching a few stragglers how to properly control their hair flips when the trouble twins descended upon her.

Maze was first to call Natalie over, and with a warm smile and playful shove she greeted Maze.

"Hey, told you I could convince them to start a week early on the new set." Natalie snickered before she added, "Someone owes me lunch." in a sing-song tone.

"Yeah, and we can talk about that pale-thing while we are it." Maze said with a mantle of cold in her tone.

Natalie leaned back and raised and eyebrow, "The what now?" she asked.

"The monster you killed a couple days ago?"

Natalie outright laughed, which caused the dance crew to pause their practice to watch the two for a moment.

"A monster? Maze, I haven't been offered a 'clean-up' job since I saved your roommate's ass. I'm not 'trustworthy' anymore." She said softly.

"Not the human trash you get paid to deal with. I mean the actual monster, the albino crab, remember?" Maze asked in frustration, straining to keep her tone down.

Natalie's only response was a raised eyebrow and look of confusion before she was called back to settle a dispute about the next set of steps. Maze watched her go back to the group the thought _'Did she actually forget?'_ haunting her.

Maze opted to return to the entry way, where Lucifer stood half in shadows. He had been brooding since the attack, to Maze's annoyance. She summarized the short conversation and waited for him to finish glaring at their lead-choreographer.

Lucifer knew he was brooding. However, he was just so infuriated that there was something going on and he had no idea what it was. He didn't believe that she didn't remember. That conversation she had with the creature told him that she _knew_ what it was. Thus, he was left with the only logical answer. She was lying to him. The rolling in his stomach returned. With a snarl, he left to seek advice from the only human that has ever been truly honest with him.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Linda hadn't know that Lucifer would walk in to her office that morning, but many of her mornings had been left clear. Longer note of his habits showed that when anything strange happened, he would show up at her office. Linda may not know what it was, but Maze of obviously agitated about something during their phone call this morning. It could be nothing, but Maze is only protective of a few people. Trixie was safe and happy, Linda herself was content enough...

Her thoughts were cut short as the Devil himself stormed into her office.

"Doctor, I fear I have been betrayed." He declared before depositing himself upon the couch.

With a note of the date made on the waiting notepad, Linda began with the simplest question: "By who, Lucifer?"

She didn't expect the sigh that heaved from him. He rubbed his face, for once seeming as ancient as he truly was.

"Miss Varquez." He whispered.

Linda's brow pinched together, "Who?"

A rough chuckle tumbled from Lucifer, "Who indeed, it would seem." He paused to take another deep breath, "Miss Varquez is the lead-choreographer for Lux."

Linda's mind was quick to make her own theories. Could they have lost their lead to another club? It would certainly explain Maze's poor temperament. Nothing angers her the way Lux losing money does – but her compulsively competitive behavior with Lucifer was a completely different matter.

"She knows something about a creature that attacked the city. Everyone else has forgotten it even happened, except her.

"And... and when I touch her, something within me warns me against her. I fear I have been manipulated. Blinded by beauty." His explanation ended with him spiting the last phrase like a poison.

"Lucifer, why not just ask her what she desires?"

Another cold chuckle came from the man, "It doesn't appear to work on Miss Varquez." 

Another frown came to Linda, and a new theory, _'Could Lucifer be losing his powers?!'_

"Have you tried just talking with her about what happened?"

"She denied it when pressed."

Linda tapped her pen for a moment, considering how to best proceed.

"Have you considered that she has a reason for that? Strange things happening is normal for you, but as someone that lives in normal human society, fighting monsters isn't normally believed in. She could be afraid of judgment from her other peers."

Lucifer sat up with a sudden beaming smile. "Of course! You're right as always, Doctor. I never **really** told her _who_ I am. She believes me to just be a club-owner."

"Oh, no! Lucifer, wait!" Before Linda could grab on to him, Lucifer had sprinted away. Linda stared down the hallway in horror. This would only end badly. She told herself she had no choice, as she pressed her hands together and prayed for her ex-boyfriend to show up.

Amenadiel folded in his wings before he unstopped time, and gave Linda a sad smile. "Hello, Linda."

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't call unless it was an emergency." She whispered back.

He nodded softly, "I know, what's wrong?"

"Lucifer. He... he's going to convince another human that he really is the Devil."

In a blink of her eye, Amenadiel took up a look of panic and vanished. Choking back a sob, Linda closed the office, and sent out rescheduling emails for the day.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Traffic on the freeway seemed to be at a stand still. After a couple moments, Lucifer realized that the other vehicles were indeed held still. With a sigh, he brought the convertible to a stop. A couple feet away from the hood, his dear brother appeared.

"And to what do I owe this undesired pleasure?" Lucifer asked from behind the wheel of the car.

Amenadiel held a solemn look, "You know you can't go around revealing divinity to the humans. I don't know who this latest one is, but I need you to let it go."

A scoff came from the convertible, "Fine. No wings, no devil face, no feats of power." His tone turned sarcastic as he finished, "Is it alright if I at least talk to her? I promise to be a good boy."

"I probably couldn't truly stop you if I tried, just be mindful Lucy. You tend to forget the rules when you obsess over one of the humans."

Before he had a chance to retort, a honk sounded from behind him. A string of curses came from the convertible as Lucifer quickly came up to speed again. He grumbled all the way back to Lux. He could tell it was going to be a difficult day when his phone rang before he could finish his return. The detective's voice seemed more like a buzzing in his ear than normal. However, he changed lanes to go to the station as requested.


	26. Chapter 23: One

_Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope the season change is going well for everyone, where-ever they call home. I'm super excited to announce that we passed another milestone – Over 100 Favorites! (I'm going to have to come up with more to do.) Which means a bonus chapter! We're also into summer break in North America, so I am hoping to increase the production schedule till classes start again in autumn. At the latest, the bonus chapter will be posted on the 1st of July with the normally released chapter. Be ready for fireworks, romance, danger, and Maze being right!_

 _Thank you and enjoy,_

 _Mint Tea and Skulls_

Chapter 23: One

After a week of car chases, a stray horse, and an accidental walk-in on the detective and Daniel having a "moment", Lucifer was thrilled to have a bit of down time from the station. While Maze tended to take over the mornings of Tuesday, and Miss Varquez's evenings were taken by Evan, Lucifer had a plot to sneak sometime for himself. As his watch hand edged toward midnight on Monday night, Lucifer made his way to the back of Lux.

Idled behind the building was a familiar blue car, with a grinning Evan texting on his phone. Lucifer walked up to the window and tapped it gently. Evan jumped before rolling the window down.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Nat's cuite-pie boss." He chirped.

"I'm not really her boss, that's Maze." He corrected instinctively. "However, I wanted to let you know that I will take Miss Varquez home tonight."

Evan's face looked pensive for a moment before he broke out into the largest grin Lucifer had ever seen the young man sport. "Well-damn-done Nat, alright, just make sure she makes it to practice tomorrow night."

He waved and drove off laughing before Lucifer could remind him that Miss. Varquez didn't work Tuesday nights. He shrugged, and turned back to watch the back door and wait. It was only a couple more minutes before the woman in question stepped out with a wave to the others still in the building. She paused at the sight of him, then she noticed that there was no car to get her.

Before a phone could appear in hand, Lucifer stepped forward with a smile. "If I may, I would be happy to drive you home."

The click of heels on pavement greeted him as she came closer. When she came within an arm's length, he extended a hand to her. Her eyes looked to the hand and he studied her face for the moment. A faint smile graced her lips, before her gaze raised to his. Once again, he pushed aside the sense of warning and concern. Her warm hand slid into his as she took a final step closer. He held her hand loosely, and looped his arm around her waist. On a whim, he returned the smile before stepping back to lead her into a waltz. To his pleasure, she placed her other hand on his shoulder and stepped along to follow him.

He could only describe the sound Miss Varquez made, while they lost themselves in their private dance, as a giggle. Even the thought of the strange woman giggling gave him a silly grin of his own. A daring tug brought her closer and he hummed bits from one of his favorite waltzes.

While this wasn't how Natalie had planned for her night to go, it was a pleasant surprise. She wouldn't normally approve to the goofy look that she failed to control, but thankfully the impromptu dance was away for most prying eyes. Part of her wondered if he could hear her heart pound and if that wasn't why he had started humming. Her head came to rest against his shoulder as he led her round and round the alleyway.

When they finally stopped, Natalie's sense of time was ruined. It was still dark, but it could have been minutes or hours, although she found it remarkably hard to care. Rather than loosen his grip, she flushed when the arm around her waist pulled her closer. Her hand on his shoulder looped around his neck. The suave grin that crossed his face was her only warning before Natalie found herself dipped back. A soft kiss was pressed against her sternum before she was righted, although still held close.

"What would a second taste cost me?" He said softly in her ear.

A warm chuckle escaped Natalie, "Mr. Morningstar. I believe you offered me a ride to my apartment."

"So I did." He said with a hint of sadness, releasing her in order to motion toward his convertible.

The drive was comfortably quiet before Lucifer choose how he wanted to approach the actual matter at hand. He briefly cleared his throat before beginning.

"Miss. Varquez, I wanted you to know that I have not been entirely honest with you. While it is true that I am the owner of Lux, I am also involve in … _unusual_ incidents. Things that might be **difficult** to explain to others." He paused, considering how to continue.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when Miss Varquez chuckled at him again. "Ya' know, I really don't think Maze would approve of me helping you get into the mob business."

His brows knitted together and before he could question her thinking further they had arrived at a familiar apartment building. With a smile and a wink, the car was suddenly empty. Lucifer's confusion was cut short when a soft hand landed on his shoulder. A familiar sensation of panic and suppression played out in his mind as he focused on the sensation of the moving hand.

Natalie leaned on the door of the convertible, letting her hand climb from shoulder to hold his sharply angled chin as she tasted him once more. The pressure of his lips against hers left a heady tingle. She flicked her tongue along his lip, with a brief nip, before she stood up right again. "Delicious... Thanks for the lift." She said softly, before she made her way into the building.

Dismissed and slightly dazed, Lucifer let habit guide him back to Lux. With a dismissive hand, he passed Maze and took one of the bottles from behind the bar. As he poured himself a drink, he let his mind wonder over what to do about convincing Miss Varquez.


	27. The Bell Tolls for Thee

_Author's Note: This may have come out much longer than I intended, but let it never be said that I backed down from a planned plot line._

Bonus Chapter: The Bell Tolls for Thee

Maze stared at the teal envelope covered in turtles and starfishes. It _looked_ like a wedding invitation, but who in literal Hell invited the Devil to their wedding? With a brief check around for witnesses, Maze slipped a nail under the flap and carefully opened the strange mail. After confirming that it was no one she knew of, someone named Tyler Lorns, Maze tapped the envelope against the counter. This could be the chance she had been waiting for. She just had to make sure he took someone besides her. _'Maybe Chloe? No, then he'll get himself killed...'_ Maze mused to herself.

"Morning Maze, have you seen Louis? He was suppose to be here two hours ago to work on the sound system."

Maze stopped her tapping, as a slow grin spread across her face. With barely contained glee, her bar stool slowly turned to let Maze face an annoyed looking Natalie Varquez – her favorite devil-sitter.

"Nope, but this came for Lucifer, you should take it up to him and ask. You know how he likes to break-in the new help." She said with a smirk, the bright envelope held out to Natalie.

Natalie's look of annoyance dropped into a sigh, "It's a wonder anything ever gets fixed around here." With a nod, Natalie took the envelope and made her way to the elevator. Maze waited until the doors closed before beginning her next phone call.

Inside the elevator, Natalie fumed about the missing sound technician. The ping from the elevator pulled her attention up just in time to avoid running into said technician. The level of disarray to his clothing and hair confirmed Maze's theory. She raised a hand to stop the sputtering of excuses. She stepped out to allow Louis to make his way down to the club floor.

Purpose filled her steps as she stalked across the pent house. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the envelope on to the bar top before smacking her hand against it. "Can you at least wait till the repairs are done? I had to send everyone home for the day to prevent a damn mutiny. Practice was suppose to start two hours ago." She seethed at the smug looking owner.

In Lucifer's mind, the day just kept getting better. "So you're free for the rest of the day, then?" He asked as he picked up the envelope.

As Miss Varquez pinched the bridge of her nose, Lucifer busied himself with looking over the invitation. "Oh Splendid!" He exclaimed, "Tyler and Benedict are getting married! Oh, and on the beach on the 4th of July. How charming."

He paused, considering the date for a moment, "That isn't a Tuesday, but perhaps Maze would let you have to day off to go with me, if you would like to. It does say I get a plus one."

Lucifer watched Miss Varquez as empirically as he could. The hand that had been pinching her face now came down to take the invitation to read over it herself. Her face was impressively blank as her eyes flicked back and forth. Once the bright card was slid over to him, she took his tumbler from the bar and downed the bourbon within. "Sure." She said and then turned and left. The tumbler carelessly tossed over her shoulder.

 _'Better and better.'_ He thought to himself as he leaned forward to catch and refill the tumbler with a smile.

0-0 0-0 0-0

It seemed suspicious to Natalie. Maze had been so quick to agree to the extra day off, considering that last month's request had been ferociously denied (Natalie had cashed in the favor Maze owed her in order to seal the deal). She scrolled through her contacts for a moment, before hitting the call button.

"Hey... Yeah, I know, I know. I'm on the 'fuck-off list' but you still owe me one... I need you to check an event for me, make sure it's on the level... "

After about an hour later Natalie ended the call satisfied it wasn't a trap. While traps didn't seem like Maze's style, many a lost sparring lesson had taught Natalie to not underestimate Maze's creativity. In a deeper truth, Natalie was confident that Maze knew better then to turn on her. The two had an unspoken agreement that they didn't want to seriously fight each other. _'Which means she needs me out of the way and distracted.'_ She thought.

She checked the calendar on the wall before making her way to the living room. Evan sat on the couch, game station controller in hand, clearly focused on his race. Natalie's voice teared through his concentration, which caused him to startle.

"Oi! Put down the Nintendo, I'm going on a trip next week and we need to talk about it now."

"Nat! Douche-stockings! Don't do that!" He shouted back from his new spot on the floor.

"Getting that distracted is dangerous, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"I only do it when you're here to keep me safe. And not everything is made by Nintendo."

"Focusing please."

"Ok, ok. Why do we need to talk about a trip next week?" Evan paused his game, full attention finally turned to Natalie.

"Maze is getting me out of town for something. Since I don't have any contacts right now, I need you to keep an eye on her and find out what is going on."

Evan stared at Natalie in horror and shock. "Like... your-boss-who's-a-bounty-hunter Maze?"

Natalie sighed for the thirty-fourth time that day as she crossed the room to sit on the couch.

"Mobsters are one thing, but bounty hunters? Am I really ready for that?"

"Evan," Natalie started softly, "She may be stronger than you, but she's still just human. You're going to battle _Pale Ones_ when I'm finally gone from this world. Would I like to wait longer before giving you field work? Yes, but we don't know enough about Maze, and Mr. Morningstar for that matter, to blindly trust them."

Evan's expression switched from relieved to puzzled, "So, if you don't trust him, why do you keep making out with him?"

Natalie's softness melted into cold indifference.

"Ok, no need for the looks, I'll toss it up to 'do as I say; not as I do.' I'll do as you ask and I won't let you down, so can I finish my race now?"

Natalie sighed – thirty-five – and leaned back for a much needed nap.

0-0 0-0 0-0

It may have taken him the whole week to negotiate it; but when both Miss Varquez and Maze agreed to extend the time off to included the day before and after the wedding as well, Lucifer was ecstatic. Including Miss Varquez's normal Tuesday off, that was four days. As he packed his convertible Tuesday morning, he sent a text to alert his traveling companion that he would arrive soon to collect her for their trip. Maze's warnings to be careful, avoid devil-nappings, and to not annoy _her_ lead-choreographer fell on mostly deaf-ears. Although he did nod along to prevent a last minute cancellation.

When Lucifer pulled up to the home of Miss Varquez, he was mildly disappointed that she was not already outside and ready to leave. Before he could remove himself from the vehicle to find the delay, the main door opened. Evan scurried out with a look of pure mischief and a suitcase, while Miss Varquez followed after with one flip-flop on and the other in hand as she attempted to strike the fleeing young man. Evan merely laughed and handed off the suitcase to Lucifer.

Before Lucifer could question the situation, Evan jumped away from the other shoe being thrown and sprinted back inside. Lucifer hadn't been so lucky. Part of his nose stung from the contact and his free hand came up to cradle it. At the sensation of pain, Lucifer's gaze swept the area to look for the detective. With a shrug and the assumption she must have been driving down the nearby freeway in a remarkable feat of timing, he turned his attention to the pair of hands that took hold of his face. The familiar, almost comforting, sense of panic washed over him.

He scoffed at the worry that danced through her storming eyes. _'As if a mere, beautiful mortal could harm me.'_ He thought with a chuckle, _'The detective my constant exception of course.'_

He shifted the suitcase out of his lap and exited the vehicle. He wrapped his hand firmly around hers. The barest flush rose across her cheeks as he pressed a soft kiss along the back of her knuckles. Miss Varquez busied herself getting comfortable in the car while he loaded her suitcase into his trunk.

Natalie focused her breathing, but was still caught off guard when the car surged forward. A glance at the speedometer drained the remaining color from her cheeks. She closed her eyes in determination to attempt to sleep through any potential crashes. _'I hate traveling without Kana.'_ She thought with a sigh and dozed off.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie was pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Morningstar was entertaining company for extended periods of time. After the car ride, they had a couple extra days before the wedding of his friend. His near constant use of innuendos was more impressive in its versatility than persistence. In fact, the trip felt remarkably like a vacation. Late night beach walks with strange conversation topics included.

A smile flickered across her lips as she finished her make-up for the wedding this afternoon. Once she was strapped into her sandals, she looked over the complete look. The shimmering emerald-colored dress flowed from an A-line waist. With her hair pinned into a bun, simple silver hoops adorned along her ears, and her aged silver necklace, Natalie felt regal. She also felt someone watching her.

A shadow in her mirror drew her attention. The eyes that ran over her came up to meet hers in the mirror. She could feel their path, like a teasing sensation. Rather than tame her smile, she gave a small spin so that the material sparkled in the light. "I clean up well," she joked, "but maybe someday I'll get to see you dressed down for once."

"Would wearing nothing count?"

"I imagine not, you're pale enough I could leave you in a parlor like a marble statue."

His smirk grew as he stepped closer, "I don't believe your flat has a parlor, however I would be happy to adorn your bedroom decor."

Natalie couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. "I'm sure you would." She responded as she took his hand to make their way to the beach for the ceremony. Not only could she not contain the fluttering feeling that left her soaring, she was surprised by her lack of desire to. Before they rounded the last bend, she stole one last, ill-advised kiss.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Albert Howard Christenson was a man of practicality. It was how he made his fortune, choose his business partners, and selected the jobs his company accepted. He was also a family man. While he had no wife or children, he had his parents, his uncle, and an adorable terrier. Well, he had his uncle until his uncle was betrayed by a cleaner who worked for him. However, Albert was a man of destiny.

His latest attempted at a date had insisted he join her at a friend's wedding. Albert thought attendance of such an event assumed more of the relationship than he considered practical. After-all, he needed to find someone of a much higher social standing than this silly, naive, woman-child. However, his charity was rewarded by his great destiny. The L.A. She-Devil, Natalie Varquez, was also in attendance. Smiling and unaware of how the fates had betrayed her.

With a dismissing hand to the shrill woman talking at him, he pulled out his smartphone to call his cleaner. The details to his plan flowed effortlessly, however it was only to be expected. After-all, he was a man of destiny. And that traitorous swine wouldn't know what hit her. Ah, the might of destiny!

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie woke up with the sensation that she had been beaten senseless with a massive stone brick. She didn't recall drinking that much at the party and attempted to rub her face. Limited reach and the soft shuffle of metal caused her to give a frustrated groan. _'I remember going back to the hotel... Morningstar went down to the pool, and I went to sleep...'_ Natalie thought to herself, trying to work out a time line.

 _'Shit! Morningstar! We've been everywhere together, anyone targeting me would have noticed!'_

It took focus, but Natalie worked her way through the groggy sensation to peer at her surroundings. No windows, concrete walls, table full of "nope", and no Morningstar. With any luck, he was considered too high profile and left behind. Assuming she found a way out of this mess, she didn't need Maze coming after her because something befell the adorable idiot.

For the... seventh? _'Stupid drugging.'_ For the seventh time, she wished she had just brought the damned sword rather than be this powerless. As she tested the range of motion allowed by the restraints, a door to her left opened. Other than the traces of blood on the cuffs of the sleeves, the man that entered looked like an accountant. Simple dress shirt and a small business like smile.

"Ah, you're awake." He started and stepped closer. "Good, good. Let me get the camera and we can start."

 _'Great, one of those wackos.'_ Natalie sneered to herself.

"You know, you're much prettier than Sir Albert implied. Shame that, I would have loved to have my own fun with you **before** I killed you." He stated conversationally as he set up the tripod and camera. "Oh, well. I'm sure if I'm quick you'll stay warm long enough **after** you're dead."

He paused, a disappointed look on his face, before pressing the record button. "No questions? None at all? I just told you I was going to kill and fuck you. Don't you even want to know who I am?"

The dark chuckle Natalie gave sent a visible chill through the man before her. "Oh, I know you. You're my next dead body. We're well-past the why questions. Word of advice: you better kill me. Because when I get out of these chains; I'm going to give you a ten second head start and then hunt you down like a manged animal – with your own camera - and send the tape to your boss. I'm sure 'Albert' will love it."

"You really are her. The Natalie Varquez. I'm going to be able to set my own rates after this. Do continue the good show though." He said in a soft awe. His hand found his table of tools without having to look, which spoke to a familiarity that told Natalie it was going to be a long night. She lifted her chin and gritted her teeth. She could handle a long night.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer stumbled out of the linen closet, leaving the pool attendant to straighten themselves out. He was chipper as he entered the elevator to go to his temporary pent house. Despite Miss Varquez letting him sleep in the same bed, she seemed in no hurry to properly bed him. It was strange to just sleep next to someone. However, after he had awoke that morning in a tangle of snuggling limbs; he hoped that tomorrow morning had an even greater lack of inhibitions. He wasn't sure why, but she was hesitant to lay with him. Not that he minded, she seemed completely unbothered by his constant romping and - the strange sensation she produced in him aside – he deeply enjoyed kissing her.

And dancing... He left his mind to wonder through the many dances they had shared that night. Her grace matched with his own. The memory of feeling her sway against him as he led her from one dance to the next returned to him. Neither of them had wanted to leave and danced till the DJ packed up and told them to leave. Even then, they had danced in the pent room one last time before he left for his nightly swim.

The ping of the elevator sent him forward, key-card fished from the skin-tight pocket of his swim trunks. The card then fluttered to the ground as the room came into view. The tables were up turned, there was a splatter of blood along a wall, and one Natalie Varquez was missing. He staggered through the rooms, taking in the damage. His eyes locked on a butter knife lodged into the wall across from the bed. _'She was fighting... Someone_ _ **took**_ _her.'_

He could feel where the side of his jaw was twitching. He turned on his heel and began to make his way to the security office on the lobby floor. Once he was before the door in question, he pushed it open with enough force to overpower the locking mechanism. On the other side was a startled guard counting a sizable stack of money. Lucifer's twitch returned with vengeance.

"Who. Took. Her?" Lucifer asked as calmly as he could.

"You-you can't be in here! H-h-how did you-"

"WHO?!" He shouted as he dropped his facade. His Devil-face felt like fire against his bones as his rage burned red in his eyes.

"Albert's cleaner! Tony Samuels!" The guard shouted back before devolving into a screaming fit.

With two names, Lucifer began his scouring of the town. Enough money and the right favors were the golden keys that let him into the local underground scene. It was here that a particularly naughty code-gerbil gave him the address to the safe house and torture den of Mr. Tony Samuels. At use of the word "torture", Lucifer rushed off without another word.

The building was gloomy and fenced in. With an internal promise to get the damage fixed tomorrow, Lucifer pushed his petal to the floorboard and rammed through the gate. In a flourish, Lucifer skidded to a halt before a large steel door. He could hear the sound of a group of armored boots running up behind the door and wasted no time throwing it open. The room only had six guards, though a group seemed to be running down a particular hall way.

His hand moved like lighting as Lucifer to hold of the first guard and threw him into the others. With a kick of the nearby couch, the group was quickly pinned between the wall and the piece of furniture. Thankfully the impact against the wall had been enough to knock them out, and Lucifer let the other four lead him to his real goal. He followed on silent feet, but paused when the scent of blood reached him. He carefully turned the corner and peered through the doorway.

Chained the wall, covered in stabs and burns, was a panting Natalie Varquez. Blood, a deep dark red, nearly purple in the basement's lighting, dripped slowly on to the floor. His vision was narrowed to watch a single drop roll down to her elbow before it fell to the floor... The floor that was painted in her blood. It was when he stepped forward that the other people in the room noticed him. Before he could stop himself, his wings sprung forth to protect him from the rain of gunfire as he made his way to break the chains.

Once she was gently placed against the wall, and the humans behind him reloading, he dropped his winged barrier and turned with his true face. A snarl escaped him as he scooped up the one covered in blood and slammed him against the wall. The four guards all sprinted for the door, a concert of screams left in their path. Tony Samuels mumbled the words "no" and "you're not real" over and over. Lucifer's haze of rage was broken with the sound of a cough from behind him.

The target of his ire was dropped and forgotten as Lucifer turned to tend to Natalie. In the flash of an eye, he returned his facade and dropped to a knee by the recovering woman. The coughing was bringing up blood, which she spit out once she became focused enough. Finally those familiar storms turned to him, fear and hesitant hope clear in their depths. "Morningstar?" She mumbled with a pinched brow.

"Yes, yes, I'm right here." He responded softly.

He watched as her eyes slid off his face and focused on the man huddled in the corner. With a grimace, she pushed off the wall and stood up. When she picked up one of the knives off the table, Lucifer's eyes widened. _'She intends to kill him.'_ A distant part of him, that wasn't buried in rage, whispered. As his gaze turned to the blood soaked floor, he couldn't find it in himself to stop her. A blinking in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned. _'A camera?'_ He thought, and went to check the most recent footage.

Rage flowed through him anew and he smashed the offending equipment into the floor to destroy it. He turned to look back toward Natalie. The mumbling had stopped, and she stood over the now dead Tom Samuels. She dropped the knife casually, and turned to face him. She glanced at the ruin equipment with a frown, but shrugged it off. She looked exhausted and muttered a question about the nearest sink.

He led her to the bathroom he had sneaked past earlier. After a quiet moment of watching her hands under the water, washing away both her and Tom's blood, he nudged her over, took the soap bar, and softly scrubbed her hands. Her brow pinched together again as she watched him, an unspoken question hanging between them.

Slowly and silently, the two cleaned away the worse of the blood. Lucifer found some spare clothing while she finished her sink-based birdbath. Once she was redressed, she used the remaining spare clothing to make simple bandages. Lucifer worked quickly and patted her shoulder softly once the process had been finished. He extended his hand to her, and then led her out of the now abandoned building and back to his car.

Rather than return to the hotel, he commented that he would replace anything lost and opted to just begin the drive back to L.A., and a nod of agreement sent him on his way. The drive was quiet, and thankfully uneventful, until Lucifer pulled up to the building that Miss Varquez lived in. They stepped out, and looked up at the building. He drummed his fingers for a moment before he spoke.

"Miss. Varquez, I hope you do not blame yourself for what happened. I can still take you to a hospital if you'd like."

A soft chuckle came from the woman, and she turned to look up at him. "No, I'm sure I don't want to go to the hospital... You've probably figured out by now that I'm not just an informant. But thank you for helping me."

Her hand reached up to softly stroke his cheek. He didn't fight the faint smile that found him when she kissed him. He indulged himself in the soft pressure. His tongue was greedy as it tasted her. For a moment, he wondered if she could feel his heart beat through the tight grip of his shirt. Her fist were wound into the back of his shirt, pressing herself against the length of him. As the thought of picking her up and pressing her against the hood of his convertible crossed his mind, she stepped back.

"Thank you." She whispered again, before she turned and entered the building.

Once again dazed and dismissed, Lucifer returned to Lux. He made his way to the piano, the room around him a party blur that he wasn't ready to enter yet. A frown set into his face as he pressed the first chord.

With a muttering about the sanctity of a devil's piano, he called over his shoulder, "Maze! Did you sneak in someone to tune my piano again?! What have I said about other people touching my pianos?!"


	28. Chapter 24: Two

Chapter 24: Two

Lucifer found himself torn between which of his two newest suits he should wear. Turn of a new fashion season always had so many options; how was a devil to decide? He shifted the hangers back and forth, as though weighing the merit of each suit.

 _'Hmm, both are new independent designers, both are blue... However, the cut of these pants... Yes. Zimswick it is.'_

As he made his way down to Lux proper, he found that new season choices were a shared theme. Maze and Miss Varquez stood in front of a collection of every dancer that worked for Lux. Lucifer eased himself on to a stool at the bar to watch. Miss Varquez was in the process of giving some kind of lecture.

"- is why we've called you here this morning. Everyone has been given the initial choreography, and try-outs will be this Sunday before we open. Anyone who is interested, regardless of shift, seniority, or full or part time status, is invited to sign-up. For those of you who like to procrastinate, we will also be taking walk-ins that morning. I will not be considering individuals outside of our current staff.

"Any questions?" Natalie finished as she looked over her staff of dancers.

Soft murmuring had picked up, but no questions came forward. Natalie gave a dismissing wave and headed to the back room to post the sign-up sheet. She had just pinned it to the board when Patrick's hand shot out to sign his name. Her eyebrows came up, as she turned to the young man.

"I didn't know you danced."

"I've always wanted to be on the dance shift, but I've always gotten too nervous in the past because everyone on the troupe was a woman. I didn't want to be _that guy_... But you've been incorporating more guys into the sets and everyone seems really cool with it... So I thought I could finally try."

Natalie stared at Patrick for a moment. Even as socially inept as she was, she could tell he felt vulnerable by opening up to her. A flash of Evan's face crossed her mind. A memory from when he had told her about wanting to play in the battle of the bands, but being too scared to go. It had been the first time she promised to perform with him. Decided, she clapped a hand on Patrick's shoulder and broadly smiled.

"I guess you better start practicing then." She said brightly before heading out of the room.

Maze had retreated back to the bar to pour a set of drinks. Natalie joined them at the bar, and accepted one of the set. Maze grinned as the three made a silent toast, and then downed their shots. Natalie snorted a laugh, half-turned to say something to Maze when the front down was roughly slammed open.

Lucifer was surprised as anyone to see Daniel on his literal doorstep. That initial surprise was dwarfed by rage as Daniel charged up to him and slammed him back against the bar. Lucifer was quick to raise his hand, which signaled Maze to not attack. At the last moment, he realized that he had forgotten about the other person at the bar.

Daniel had only blinked for a moment and Lucifer was out of his grasp. Meanwhile, Daniel was experiencing breathing difficultly. He looked to the side to see he was pinned by the throat to a table by one of the club's dancers. The woman said nothing, just stared down at him with gray eyes that left part of him bothered the longer he looked. Soon he began to struggle against her grip, before outright thrashing. Before he could black-out, the strange gray eyes were hauled back and he could breathe freely again.

Maze muttered to Natalie about not hurting her roommate's on-again-off-again husband. Natalie merely shrugged, before wandering into the backroom. Maze gave the other staring dancers a pointed look to make them scatter as well.

"Sorry, tad protective that one." She said calmly as she helped Daniel up. "So, why the theatrics?"

Daniel took a deep breathe. He felt better without that weird woman in the room. "Trixie was attacked. She claims it was by something called a 'pale one' and when I tried to ask more she told me that adults can't remember. That all kids knew that, it's why she didn't like riding on the highway at night. 'They run by the cars' or something like that." He paused to take a breathe before continuing the torrent of words. "Now, I don't know the hell is going on, but her backpack was ripped up by something bigger than a dog, I don't care what that idiot working patrol that day said – no dog makes rips like that. And anything weird always involves you, Lucifer. So either you did something, so fix it; or it's just weird, which is still your realm of bullshit, so FIX IT!"

Maze and Lucifer turned to each other, horror clear on both of their faces. A Pale One had attacked Trixie?

"Alright, fair enough, Daniel. 'Weird things' are my area of expertise. You keep your family together and inside. I'll call you when it's handled." Lucifer said with as much as his usual swagger as he could manage. Daniel looked mostly appeased, but still left with a frown. Lucifer and Maze spoke in quiet, rushed tones.

"She knows something, Lucifer. I know she still remembers something from the last one."

"I know! Linda thinks she is just pretending to face social face. We explain it, and let her help."

"Ugh! Fine!"

The pair made their way to the backroom, however Natalie Varquez was gone. According to the staff in the backroom, she had left right after their visitor had half-yelled about a "pale one". Lucifer did his best to not let Maze's smug look dissuade him from the idea that Miss Varquez was on their side. "See? Already off to deal with it."

"Look I enjoy Nat's company too. But we can't assume that she's acting in our best interest just because you two keep acting like teens in closets."

"My trust in Miss Varquez has nothing to do with our physical interactions." He firmly rebutted. 

"... Sure it doesn't."

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie's shoulders ached, but she didn't have time to do anything about that. She slammed open the fire escape window and shouted at Evan to wake up. While he stumbled about, cursing and smashing into things, Natalie unlocked her cabinet.

"I wasn't expecting another one so soon." She muttered to herself as she lifted the centered blade. "Kanaxicoatl is still slightly duller than normal..."

She turned the large blade over in her hands, potential battle plans playing out in her mind. Evan barreled into the room. He's eyes fell on to the sword in hand and he slowed to compose himself.

"Another one? Already?" He asked, terror clear in his voice.

Natalie nodded, before closing the cabinet and hoisting the blade on to her shoulder. "It's still trying to prey on children, which means it's even younger than the last one. More reckless. If I can catch it early..."

"But it's broad daylight!" Evan half-hollered back.

"Really, I hadn't noticed." She dead-panned with a glare. "That's why I need you. You run crowd control while I lure it to one of the abandoned plazas."

Evan still looked scared, but nodded his agreement nonetheless.


	29. Chapter 25: Three

_A/N: For clarification, I do include relevant story bits in the bonus chapters. So folks skipping those chapters might be lost in the next few chapters. Also, my spouse and I found out we're going to have a baby, Happy day!_

 _Lots of love,_

 _Mint Tea and Skulls_

Chapter 25: Three

Evan was familiar with crowd control. He just didn't like it. Sure, a little tiny lie would save many people, but he was a bad liar. Someday he was going to take an improvisation class as Natalie kept suggesting. At least then he would be better equipped for when the standard gas leak lie failed for one reason or another. However, no amount of lying could guard him from his unknown demonic stalker.

While Maze watched Evan from a nearby rooftop, she pondered the intelligence in allowing Lucifer to follow Natalie and convince her to follow the boy. He hustled from building to building. It looked like he was targeting all the buildings around an old, closed-down strip mall. She sighed and attempted to focus on the boy again.

On the other side of the plaza, Natalie sat in meditation. She focused on her breathing and waited for the surge of energy that flowed from her sword to her. Even with her eyes closed, her mind's eye showed her how the hidden runes glowed when she connected to the blade. A chorus of whispers greeted her mind. With them, came a warning. She sighed through the sensation of impending danger.

Satisfied with her prep work, Natalie rose and slid the sword back to home in the holster on her back. The sky had already begun to darken as storm clouds gathered. A knife appeared in her hand and she took a deep breathe before dragging a small cut along her right fore-arm. Deep-toned, fresh blood dripped on to the pavement. Natalie crouched down and smeared the purple substance out.

With bait placed, she retreated into the abandoned building. Already the sensation of being watched followed her. From the shadows, she redrew her blade. She waited under the growing storm.

0-0 0-0 0-0

On the roof of the abandoned mall, Lucifer massaged his shoulders. They always felt sore after flight, and those stairs were much to rickety to go up. He could have torn his suit! Flying to the roof had been the only option. He was immediately distracted from his discomfort. Below him, sat one Natalie Varquez. With a glowing sword in her lap.

"Shit, Maze is right... She's not some normal human..." He muttered to himself.

He stood frozen, eyes shifting from the glowing blade to the now shimmering wing markings on her back. A clap of thunder drew his attention up. He had missed the storm's formation. As his eye's darted back down the ground, Miss. Varquez had stood. A bloody knife in her hand, while blood dripped from her finger tips.

Before she could turn, he hid himself behind a decrepit air conditioning unit. He heard her stop under the roof. She was waiting, and he opted to do the same. He had much to think on. It was only a couple minutes before he felt the first water droplet strike him. With a sigh, he tried to crouch down and hide from the rain beneath his wings.

It was shortly after this that he heard it. A screech he would never forget. The Pale One had arrived. He cast his eyes out into the lot to try to spot it. As the rain thickened, a familiar and sickly shape formed. It was bigger than the last one. Armed with two extra limbs, it seemed even more of an abomination than the last one.

Rather than speak, it only screeched, and Lucifer could feel a sensation of rage and hunger from the strange creature. His own anger rose in response. How dare this _thing_ try to harm little Trixie. In a moment of blinded anger, he almost stepped out to fight himself. He caught himself as the reappearance of Miss Varquez came from the corner of his eye.

Natalie stayed focus on her target. A dulled blade meant she would have to strike harder, and with more frequency. The sensation of being watched hadn't left her either; the nagging feeling left her slightly distracted. She told herself firmly that it didn't matter. Calm steps carried her toward her target, blade held just above the broken ground.

The Pale One lapped at the smeared blood, completely focused on the bait. Once she was roughly 15 feet away, Natalie rushed the creature. The upward arc came short as the beast dodged back, screeching incoherently. A sickly and swift limb lashed out in response. Natalie arced the blade back to parry the blow before launching into a series of stabs.

As Natalie attempted to push back her target, one of the limbs stretched and looped behind her to attack. Unable to parry, she rolled to the side, sliding on the wet cement. Before she could right herself, the Pale One struck again. The blow sent her soaring into one of the crumbling pillars. Her sword was ripped from her grip by the force and laid farther behind her.

As she brought her eyes back into focus, she had only a moment to react when she saw the rush of limbs coming toward her. She planted her foot against the main body and used her hands to hold off the two spikes aimed at her face. With all of her own limbs occupied, a sickening, broken smile came across the monster's face as a third strike lashed out. Pain radiated from her right shoulder. With a roar of her own, Natalie shoved the Pale One back and stumbled to the side.

Frantic eyes searched for her blade through the rubble. The sound of skittering behind her forced her to give up her search in favor of watching her enemy. She was determined to not be struck again. However, dodging the onslaught of limbs kept forcing her farther and farther from the blade she needed. Left with no other option, she pushed the offensive once again.

The thing about Pale Ones is that they think themselves truly invincible. Some hive-minds never learned from their losses. So, the thing was surprised when Natalie charged back. Between dodging the incoming limbs, she kept striking against the main body and eye. While it was not as effective as using her sword, she could still feel where the spikes of her own energy damaged the outer shell of the creature.

A solid roundhouse finally sent the Pale One soaring back into the opposite side of the same pillar it had flung her into. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gleam of her missing blade. Once her enemy flung itself at her again, she rolled to the side. When she found her feet, the blade was once again in her grip. While she held the handle with both hands, she could feel her blood make the handle slick.

" _Enough!_ " Natalie shouted, her own voice taking on a partial ethereal tone.

The Pale One paused for a moment, as though it was trying to understand what she had said. During its confusion, Natalie focused what was left of her strength and energy into the blade. The runes shined under the darkened sky. With one last roar, she charged forward as fast as she could and drove the blade into the eye of the Pale One. It screeched one last time as its essence faded from the world.

Natalie barked out a harsh laugh before her own world went dark. Her sword clanged against the ground and echoed through the abandoned building as she dropped to her knees before landing face down on the ground. Her black hair poured around her like ink, and the markings on her back had returned to their original red coloring. She faintly heard the sound of running before her mind finally slipped into the darkness as well.

"NATALIE!" Evan screamed as he rushed to the fallen warrior.

Evan cursed at himself for taking so long to clear the people in the area. Natalie had obviously overexerted herself. He prayed to anyone who would listen that he would find a pulse. Once Natalie was hoisted into his lap, he pressed his fingers against the side of her neck. A grateful cry erupted from him as he found her pulse; strong and sure.

He carefully collected Natalie's weapon and returned it to the holster before hauling her arm around his shoulder. With slow steps he started toward the car, still blissfully unaware of the eyes that followed him.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Maze had joined Lucifer on the roof top. The two watched in silence. Once the two below them had completely left sight, they finally returned to the ground to look over the makeshift battlefield. Lucifer quietly told Maze about the parts she had missed. Her look to him spoke volumes more than any words could.

Without question, Natalie Varquez should be dead.

As they stood before the pillar that now had extensive damage and metal bars bent from the impact, Maze turned to Lucifer again and finally spoke.

"She's not human."

While Lucifer wanted to argue, even he couldn't deny the evidence before them. No human could speak with an ethereal voice. He knew that as a fact of creation. _'And if she's not human... What is she?'_ He thought to himself, a frown deeply set into his face.


	30. Chapter 26: They all fall down

Chapter 26: They All Fall Down

After a week of horribly boring cases, Lucifer was pleased to hear the next case was investigating a murder at a local strip-club. It was a great low-key start to his Monday. He had been up late "interrogating" a few of the dancers from the club and was much less thrilled when Maze hauled him out of his bed early Tuesday morning.

"Natalie canceled on me," She started while pushing Lucifer toward his closet, "Something about a special lunch date. It could be our chance to find something out."

He slipped on his Armani suit, his brooding mood returning at the mention of _her._ He followed Maze, driving the convertible as requested. Once they arrived a couple blocks from _her_ flat, he had the roof extend up to decrease the chances of them being spotted. Their wait was short, before Evan came bounding out the building. It was easy to tell he was talking quite adamantly, his finger waggling in warning back toward the door.

When _she_ walked out, Lucifer could feel his grip on the steering wheel tighten. While Evan appeared to be wearing a well-tailored suit, _she_ was in jeans and a pressed button-down. Evan made another hand movement, gesturing to the clothing difference as well. He was only meet with eye rolls and dismissed as the target of Lucifer's ire went to the small blue car.

Maze and Lucifer followed behind the pair carefully. The blue car pulled in to an upscale habachi, and Evan sprang from the car to rush the door. There he was meet by a smiling man in khakis. The two shared a hug, and Evan whispered something – Lucifer assumed a warning – in the ear of his lover.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie watched Evan hug his boyfriend and gave the two a few minutes to themselves. She could tell Evan was stressed about this lunch. He had practically thrown a tantrum when she hadn't worn full formal wear. For someone that interfered in her own life constantly, Evan had even given her a speech about how she had to promise to be as normal as she could. She took a moment to evaluate Devin from the privacy of the car.

He was roughly the same height as Evan, and held himself with confidence. While not dressed as fancifully as Evan, the shirt Devin choose complimented both his deep skin tone and Evan's suit. _'Kid always had a soft spot for well dressed men.'_ She thought with a chuckle. As she exited the car and approached the couple, Devin's attention to the detail of his outfit became even more apparent. She was convinced that even the groupings of his corn-rows had not a single hair out of place or braided into the wrong line. She couldn't stop the approving smile she gave the blushing Evan.

"You must be the infamous Devin." She said, before Evan could do introductions himself.

Devin gave a warm laugh and nodded, his hand offered, "Infamous, huh? You're fairly infamous yourself. It's a pleasure to meet the Natalie Varquez. There's no lawyer worth their bar in this town that doesn't know your name."

Natalie gave him a firm shake and a brief smile. "A lawyer? Well, well. That's much more impressive than a business man." She shoot Evan a look that Devin chuckled at.

"Well, I am the CEO for the firm, so he's not wrong."

Evan gave Natalie a smug look back, before holding out his suited arm. "Shall we?"

Devin looped his hand in the offered arm, and Natalie walked behind them. The three were brought to their reserved balcony table. In truth, it was a wonderfully pleasant afternoon. Devin proved to be just as charming as handsome, and Natalie soon found herself agreeing to cover the lunch check.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. You two go to a movie or something." She said, waving them off as her slice of cake came to the table.

While the two love-birds left, debating which movie to see, a familiar stranger brushed past Natalie's table. She dropped cash for the bill and tip, and followed the coated-back out. Down an alleyway, she waited till the footstep came to her.

"This is unexpected. I thought everyone was done with me after the Christenson thing." She taunted the coat.

"Think of this as a second chance. Your removal of Christenson left an opening for a new associate of mine. Now, the Sinner Man offers you a deal. Your life back, in exchange for another."

A seal envelope dropped onto the ground. When Natalie's eyes shifted to follow the envelope and then looked up, the coat was gone. She stepped forward, scooped up the envelope, and pried it open. A dark chuckle passed through her.

"Really? He's always at Lux, this will be a breeze." She said into the alleyway.

0-0 0-0 0-0

At the entryway of the alleyway, Lucifer and Maze stared at each other before sprinting back to the car. The trip back to Lux was a blur. Once they were in the safety of Lucifer's pent house the heavy silence only lasted a couple moments.

"The hell kind of name is 'Sinner Man'?" Maze commented as she headed for the liquor shelf. "Regardless, we'll move you to a safe house for now and I'll watch for our little traitor to make her move. Once she shows her hand, I'll handle it personally."

Lucifer barely heard Maze, but nodded along anyways. His mind twisted for a means to explain. Sure _she_ appeared to be some strange, inhuman monster-slayer; however he was no monster. Arguably, they were friends! Perhaps more on a good day. Before Maze could leave, he raised a hand to call her back to his side.

"It... could not be me." He said softly.

"You heard her, 'he's always at Lux.' And you are the only person in this club that's really worth making a fuss about. Besides, did you ever stop to think it's not about you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"This 'Sinner Man' could want to take down the detective that was responsible for the last guy losing power. Anyone with eyes knows that you and Chloe are close. If they take you, they can keep her in line." Maze finished, anger clear on her face.

Lucifer leaned back, shocked. He nodded to Maze and turned to pour himself a drink. Were they friends? _She_ refused to call him by his first name. Even dancing, or when he kissed _her_ , it was always "Mr. Morningstar" or just "Morningstar". Granted it was in a variety of languages, but it was still only that.

"For her life back..." He mumbled, repeating the cloaked person's offer. In that dreadful moment, Lucifer Morningstar realize he truly knew nothing about Natalie Varquez.


	31. Chapter 27: Running in Circles

_A/N: Sooo, not gonna lie. I didn't think this story would ever get 20 reviews. My last story that got a lot of reviews was because it was very poorly written. However, these reviews have all been very positive. Which means: Bonus Chapter. I have no idea what yet (I didn't think I'd be making another one before the end of this half of the overall story) but there will be a bonus chapter on Oct. 19th, for the review number and as a celebration of the second anniversary of this story._

 _Thanks once again to my amazing readers,_

 _Mint Tea and Skulls_

Chapter 27: Running in Circles

Lucifer's forced sabbatical wasn't all bad. Maze still kept him up-to-date on Lux, the neighborhood of his safe house – rather safe manor – was populated with many lovely people, and he was kept in stock of all of his favorite bad habits. He had been basking in the sun beside his pool when one of the neighbors took to a curiosity about him. It lead to an interesting day of debauchery indeed. It was almost enough to make him forget his troubles.

Alas, his troubles returned that following Monday. Maze came by for her daily update with a soured look on her face. After she briefed him on the try-outs results finally being posted before she finally brought up the reason for his isolation.

"Patrick isn't going to be leading a dance squad anytime soon, but he did make the cut to be on the squad. And Natalie hasn't even seemed to notice that you're gone. She been all over one of the patrons from France. Maybe you were right about it not being you. _I've_ sure never seen her be that chummy with you."

Part of Lucifer bristled. His mind created an immediate deviate scene. He imagined Miss Varquez curled into the side of the business man, coy smiles and flirtatious jokes. Imagination pressed on, changing the scene to her climbing into the man's lap, grinding to the club's music. Before he could continue the line of thought, Maze's hand passed in front of his face.

"Hello? Are you listening to me? I said you could come back to work."

"Right... Of course." He responded roboticly.

Maze sighed and rolled her eyes. She left Lucifer to his moping, she had a new bartender to hire. Now that her concerns for Lucifer were calmed, she could care less about whatever human was about to be caught in Natalie's web. Through the course of the week, she had used every contact she had, both new and old, in order to learn everything she could about the mysterious woman. By the end she had determined that Lucifer staying away from her would be best.

Natalie Varquez wasn't called the "L.A. She-devil" without reason. While Lucifer made deals that ended with the humans getting what they wanted, Natalie's deals always ended with ruin. Humans would always fail their end of the deal. Either by her own guarantee or by over-assuming their personal reach and power. Natalie always won in the end. The woman was a special kind of bad news, and Maze couldn't help but respect that kind of ruthlessness.

Maze had given everyone the morning off so that she could interview for the new bartender without the staff's prying eyes. Thus, she was surprised to see Natalie standing in front of the building. Upon seeing Maze, the woman smiled brightly and waved.

"Hey Maze, got another favor to ask."

"Oh, looking for another vacation?"

"Just a short one, now that the new dance squad has been assigned. I've been invited to a fancy dinner in Paris, so I was hoping to take the next week off."

Maze considered it for a moment, before nodding her consent.

"Thanks Maze, you're the best boss." Natalie chirped before turning to walk down the street.

When Wednesday open arrived, Lucifer scanned the room of dancers and club-goers. The new bartender greeted him with a large smile and prepared drinks. He dismissed the new cutie as he scanned the room a second time.

"She's in Paris" Maze's voice cut through the music behind him.

The glass in his hand cracked slightly. _'Paris?!'_

"Look, whatever is between the two of you, believe me when I say forget about her. She's bad news. Even if she's good money." Maze said coldly.

Lucifer refrained from responding and made his way to his piano. His imagination taunted him with the idea of that suited fool dancing with Miss Varquez instead of him. As though some mere human could keep up with her grace. The mystery surrounding her did nothing to calm his desire for her. Part of him was sure that Maze was right, she only ever had his best interest at heart.

A greater part wanted answers from those deviously sinful lips.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Natalie stared out the balcony, sipping from the wine glass in her hand. Her shoulder had mostly healed, only the faintest scar left from her latest battle. It, too, would fade with time. Her week had been wildly successful. Convincing the desperate idiot to take her to Germany on his private jet so that her could get her great sword properly sharpened had been a breeze.

The jet was chartered to go back to the United States the following morning. She only had one last matter to tend to. While her target prepared for what he thought would be a magical night, Natalie plotted her next steps. Once her glass was drained, she turned back to face the lavish room. On the bed, her target laid out, naked, smiling, and blindfolded.

"Naughty little thing aren't you." He commented as he heard her step into the room.

"Don't you like it when I'm naughty?" She asked in a false sweetness.

She picked up his business phone, and sent an email out to his associates telling them that he had more business in Paris and would be delayed in returning to the United States. She softly set it down before sitting on the edge of the bed.

The bound man gave a shuddered breathe of anticipation. Natalie couldn't stop the cruel smile that worked its way to her lips. She trailed her fingers up his chest, and in a flash pressed her palm against his mouth while her other hand slipped a knife between his ribs. A few gurgles, a little struggle, and it was over. She stood, and dropped the knife onto the bed.

She pulled out her own phone and sent a picture to the number that had been provided to her. She didn't know what this man did to make the "Sinner Man" want an example made of him. As long as the new guy kept his end of the deal, she would play along. She closed the bedroom door and made herself comfortable in the guest bedroom. Her luggage was already packed and stored by the door to leave in the morning.

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer and Maze received their confirmation that he hadn't been the target with the police showed up at the club to arrest Natalie. Chloe and Daniel were part of the force tasked with bringing in the woman that France wanted extradited. Lucifer could hardly believe the photos of the scene that the pair had with them. He noted that Maze appeared completely unfazed. He asked to come along, and the detective granted his wish with a great deal of hesitance.

Within the interrogation room, Natalie Varquez sat with a pleasant smile and without a word. No matter how she was questions, she merely stared and smiled. Before even two hours had passed, a tall man waltz into the interrogation room.

"My name is Agent Tanners, FBI. I'm here to release Natalie Varquez."

"Release?!" Daniel half-shouted. "She's slated to be extradited to France for murder!"

"Not anymore." The man said casually, tossing an envelope at the pair.

Chloe's teeth grounded together as she read the release order. "So we are just letting her go? What about the French government?"

"They have been soothed accordingly. If you would?" He held out his hand expectantly.

Chloe had no choice but to hand over the handcuff key. The whole building watched as one Natalie Varquez strolled out of their offices. Even Lucifer was shocked by the exchange. Determined to get answers, he followed Miss Varquez and the agent.

"The file you requested." Agent Tanners said, as he handed a second and larger envelope to Miss Varquez. "Hopefully was can put the incident earlier this year behind us."

"Of course, Tanners. It's always a pleasure." Natalie responded, smile still set in place.

A familiar blue car pulled up and honked. With a nod to the agent, Natalie climbed in and tossed the envelope into the backseat. Evan asked no questions as he drove them home. Once she had returned to the sanctuary of their home, Natalie looked over the sealed envelope. Evan's curiosity finally broke through as he watched her.

"What's that?" He asked.

"All of the information that the U.S. government as on Lucifer Morningstar."

Evan gave a low whistle, "What are you going to do with that?"

Rather than answer, Natalie turned to look out the window. Her smile was gone, replaced by a thoughtful look. _'What indeed...'_

0-0 0-0 0-0

Lucifer had been working through his frustration by swimming on the roof top pool when he noticed he had a visitor. Casually lounged in a deck chair was Miss Varquez. She watched him with a look he recognized as desire. He felt his anger dissipate under the look and made his way to the end of the pool she sat by.

"Well, well, if it's not the murderess herself." He commented with a chilled tone.

Miss Varquez scoffed a laugh, "You should have Maze tell you the story of what happened when Trixie Decker was kidnapped. Makes those photos look like child's play. Excuse the pun."

His eyebrow lifted as he leaned on the wall of the pool.

"But I'm not here to debate you or defend myself." She commented softly.

"And what are you here for?" He asked suggestively.

"To give you this." She said as she waved the envelope from earlier. "Tanners gave it to me, but I imagine you were watching. However, I decided it doesn't matter. Like it or not, I trust you. What, or who, you are doesn't change that."

Lucifer watched her face carefully. She wore a look of happy defeat. It seemed most contradictory. Rather than give further explanation, she laid the envelope on the table and left as quietly as she had appeared.

Lucifer hauled himself out of the pool. With a quick dry of his hands, he tore open the sealed envelope. He was shocked to see not only a sizable dossier, but a photo of him in his devil face. How Uncle Sam managed this one was beyond him. He stared at the door. At least he knew now that she was his friend.


End file.
